When winter loosens its icy grip and the weather finally begins to warm, we all want to celebrate. It’s time for a breath of fresh air, but spring cleaning is such a chore. This year make entertaining easier by taking it outside. Outdoor entertaining makes hosting simpler because you don’t even have to clean the house!

Take It Outside

When designing a space for outdoor entertaining there are a few things to consider first. The frequency of events will mandate whether the entertaining accessories and spaces should be permanent fixtures or if alternate means can be used to accommodate guests. A homeowner that has frequent dinner parties will benefit from an outdoor kitchen with built-in appliances, plumbing and electric. Rather than construct an oversized patio, families who host a once-a-year reunion may prefer a lawn area large enough to accommodate a rented tent. Additional seats can be often be created by including a sitting wall or a wide set of steps in a patio design.

The occasion for a gathering will determine elements of the design as well. Those hosting formal parties will want adequate hardscape spaces to accommodate high-heeled shoes and keep elegant clothes clean. Casual events, such as kids’ parties, can often suffice with plenty of lawn space for play. The age of the attendees is an important consideration, since older guests will appreciate access with minimal steps and plenty of room to sit.

Both the season and time of day that you entertain will affect the comfort of guests. If a host entertains year-round or during the cooler seasons they should consider including heaters or a fireplace that can create warmth and ambiance. Events held during summer days should provide relief from the sun. Large shade trees or a pergola are two options that add year-round beauty to the landscape. A covered porch or gazebo will also offer limited protection from inclement weather. Evening parties require lighting for function, safety and beauty.

The number of guests attending an event dictates not only the size of the space, but the furniture that must be accommodated. Before planning an entertaining area, a homeowner should know the quantity, size and function of furniture they would like to include. A landscape designer can use this information to create an appropriately sized area for everyday living and occasional entertaining. Dining tables, chaise lounges and other seating groups require additional space for guests to be able to walk past. A talented designer will arrange furniture to maximize the function of an area. Don’t overlook adequate parking and appropriate access to the backyard.

Finally, consider what activities guests will participate in. Dining, dancing, swimming and lawn games all necessitate different spaces. With all of this in mind, a landscape designer can begin to create outdoor rooms for separate functions and good traffic flow for mingling. The potential for accessorizing outdoor rooms is limited only by the imagination.

Delicious food and drink are essential to any celebration. An outdoor kitchen permits the host to be with their guests while preparing it. Built-in grills can be connected to a supply line so that the fuel never runs out. Amenities such as an outdoor refrigerator and warming drawer allow items to be made in advance of the event and kept at the right temperature until being served. Adequate counter space, a sink, integrated storage and trash receptacles keep the tools for preparation and clean-up close at hand. Counter top space can also be utilized for buffet service or bar-style seating. Other helpful bar accessories include a built-in icemaker, cocktail station and electrical outlets, useful for operating blenders and musical devices.

A swimming pool is the highlight of many summer parties. Consider safety and convenience when including a pool in the landscape for entertaining. Many townships insist that pools be fenced, though the location requirements may vary. Ideally a pool should have convenient access, a way to prohibit unattended children, a clear view for supervision, adequate space for foot traffic and seating for attendants. Swimmers also need a location to use the bathroom, change, shower and store belongings. Access to the home is one option, but if wet footprints through the house are objectionable, consider a pool house that can offer space for all these activities.

The lawn can also play an important role in outdoor entertaining. In addition to providing room for a tent, the lawn can be designed to accommodate a variety of outdoor activities including games, sports and play structures.

As you plan to host events this year, consider creating a place for outdoor entertaining and tell your guests to “get out”! They will thank you for it.

Photos and article courtesy of Keith Frederick, president, Environmental Landscape Associates Inc., Doylestown. For more information, call 800-ELA-9252.

Elements of Change

The need for change is only natural. When we have grown tired of winter’s white, spring comes along and re-decorates our world. Just as nature changes the seasons, people makeover their wardrobes, their hairstyle and their homes. Even the landscape needs a renovation at some point.

There are many reasons a landscape can need a change. Materials age and styles become outdated. As a family grows, their needs evolve. They may find they want more space for play. Birthdays and holiday parties may require additional areas for entertaining. All of these can be addressed in a renovation.

Renovations are unique because there are existing elements to deal with. Small trees, shrubs and flowers can be transplanted, while larger ones may need to be removed or remain in the current location. Pruning can be used to make them more suitable and attractive for the changing landscape. An existing deck, patio or walkway faces the same alternatives. Material that is not appropriate to the new design may require demolition and disposal or reuse.

While new homeowners frequently find themselves facing limited resources, those preparing for a back yard makeover often have more equity to create their dream yard. So many options for customizing outdoor living spaces are on the market that it is often overwhelming. Construction materials are available to compliment a variety of styles. Plants are used to create privacy, shade and multi-season interest. Amenities for cooking, relaxing and entertaining can turn the outdoors into an extension of the home, while accessories allow personalization of the space. Choosing a qualified company to renovate the landscape makes the process enjoyable and ensures professional results.

The first step when considering a backyard makeover is to choose a theme. Gathering photos, articles and product advertisements is a great way to get started. Information about the family, including the age, activities and desire of each member is useful for determining the size of the space required and what functional elements should be included. A landscape designer can use this data to understand personal preferences for materials, style and needs to develop a conceptual design.

The Hoyt family faced many of these challenges when they decided it was time for a change. The existing deck was useful, but the paver patio was ordinary and uninteresting. They wanted an outdoor living area that would convert the transitional space between the driveway, deck and pool into a useful and beautiful environment. Their wish list included an outdoor kitchen, spa, and fireplace. Since they disliked the effect of the man made paving products, natural stone was the obvious material choice. The desire for such a natural setting also made it an ideal location for a water garden.

Keith Frederick, of Environmental Landscape Associates, worked with the Hoyts to create a backyard paradise with all the elements. A concept plan was used as a guide for the construction. On such a creative project an open design allows the project to evolve as the landscape takes shape, giving the homeowner greater creative and financial flexibility. The result was a series of outdoor rooms that added three spaces to where there was only one. Fire, water and earth formed a theme used to transform the landscape.

The element of earth has a strong presence in the form of stone. They chose to use wet-laid Travertine for the patio because of the durable surface and lower maintenance requirements. Flat boulder steps introduce a different texture, while round boulders were the appropriate choice for the water garden. Granite was selected for the outdoor kitchen because of its beauty and strength while natural stone veneer adorns the fireplace and piers. Though many different types of stone were used for this project, a consistent color was selected to maintain the theme and tie all of the materials together.

Fire is the element of warmth. A wood burning fireplace is used to extend the seasons which the outdoor rooms can be enjoyed. Fire not only crackles on the hearth, but also grills a delicious meal in the kitchen. The extensive outdoor kitchen includes a grill, side burners, smoker, wok burner, warming drawer, fridge, ice maker, sink and storage. Though fire is a hard working element of the landscape, water creates the means for relaxation. A stream connects the upper and lower ponds of the water garden. It cascades behind the spa where the sound of falling water compliments the relaxing environment.

The Hoyts are thrilled with the renovation. Each room now has its own function and style based on the elements. Just as a mighty river carved the Grand Canyon, water changes the landscape. Even fire opens opportunities for new growth. Water, fire and earth, these are the elements of change.

A pergola can add both form and function to your outdoor living spaces. The origin of the pergola is rooted in the purely functional roots of the arbor. Early agrarians developed the arbor to grow vine producing food such as grapes. By the time of the Italian Renaissance, designers had recognized the architectural and experiential qualities of the arbor and installed them in some estate gardens, mostly over walkways to delineate and create a sense of place. English garden architects expanded that theme with larger structures and began to use the word pergola around the turn of the 20th century. Finally, in the 1960’s garden designers adapted the estate scale pergola to fit the scale of a residential garden and accentuate the outdoor living experience with both form and function.
The form of a pergola will define an outdoor living space. The columns signify the corners and walls of the room, while the beams & joists create a roof overhead. The nature of this vertical element in the garden will create a focal point. It will denote the main room for gathered activates while creating a visual point of convergence and interest. These elements of the form are also main elements of the pergolas function to define a space.
Style is the element of the form that will define the character of the outdoor room. This is where personal preferences most strongly guide design decisions. White Palladian columns with clean white beams and joists will help create a formal space when situated in gardens of strong architectural and organized plantings such as boxwood hedges. Rough timber frame style posts, beams and joists produce an informal feel to the room and blend seamlessly with loose informal planting and a more organic garden structure. And there are any number of varied combinations of style that can fit somewhere between the ends of the formal and informal spectrum. The key is to establish a style and carry it through all elements of the garden including any architecture such as the pergola.
The materials used for the pergola construction will influence the resulting style but should also be considered with respect to long term maintenance of the structure. Rough cut timber creates a lovely informal character, but is not the best long term option unless you are willing to meticulously oil and maintain it. The most prominent pergola manufacturing company in this country will no longer produce wood pergolas. Their position is that the cedar available is all now so young that it does not have the inherent natural oils required to last for a period of time that meets the company’s standards. There are now a number of companies that make synthetic columns, beams and joists. The higher quality of these products are almost indistinguishable from painted wood, though the lower quality clearly have a plastic feel to them. These synthetic products tend to work best when a more formal style is desired. Using brick or stone columns can create an informal character with very high quality and low maintenance, though at a significantly higher cost. Designers must balance the material choices with the design preference and the long term care consequences.
Shade can be an important function of the pergola, though many people find that the pergola alone offers little relief from the peak summer sun and heat. To achieve a shading affect, additional elements must be added to the pergola structure. Most commonly, vines are grown on pergolas to create the shading affect and also for the beauty of the flowers or the harvest of the fruit. Another shade option is a retractable canopy that is set on tracks in the beam structure. These can be either mechanical or manual and provide a much lower maintenance option for shade when compared to the vines. Retractable sun screens can even be fitted between posts to provide protection from the sun when it is lower on the horizon.
A pergola can create architectural interest, define and outdoor living space, provide retreat from the elements, and give structure for fruiting or flowering vines. It will contribute both form and function to your garden and outdoor living space.