Free Plan: A Garden of Outdoor Rooms

 

Made in the shade

When your garden's got a cool out-door dining room, a shaded retreat, and a lush entertainment courtyard, taking a summer vacation can be as simple as stepping out your own back door.

Plant green walls

To maintain a feeling of openness in the compact space, understated furniture. A delicate-looking metal dining set that wouldn't impede garden views, then topped the table with glass. You can look through the tabletop and furniture and see the garden beyond.

The dining area's simple candle chandelier is more functional than pillar candles.

Brighten with whites

White ‘Iceberg’ roses (left) and plants with white-and-green foliage stand out against the greenery.

Add water music

A two-tiered fountain burbles in the center of the party patio. Geranium incanum ‘Sugar Plum’ grows at its base.

Use your corners

To furnish a retreat where we can relax, Set out a pair of  chairs . Dry-laid flagstones interplanted with lime green Scotch moss add to the serene feel.

Shade-loving plants: 1 - 5

1. Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium' A slow-growing deciduous tree, 
to 15 feet tall; leaves are deeply cut. Filtered shade is best; full sun satisfactory except in hottest climates.

2. Begonia semperflorens Low-growing bedding plants (up to a foot tall) pump out flowers in white and shades of red from spring through fall (winter annual in hottest climates). Filtered sun or bright 
indirect light.

3. Camellia japonica 'Nuccio’s Gem' White flowers and evergreen leaves on a shrub that grows to 12 feet tall and sometimes more. Filtered light.

4. Dogwood (Cornus alba 'Elegantissima') Deciduous shrub reaching 10 feet tall and wide with red stems, green-and-white foliage, and small, fragrant, creamy white flowers in spring. Light shade.

5. Variegated Nemesia caerulea (pictured) Compact mild-climate perennial reaches 2 feet tall ― perfect for a pot. Rich green leaves with white edges; delicate lavender-pink blooms. Part shade.

Shade-loving plants: 6

6. Oakleaf hydrangea A slow-growing shrub, 6 to 8 feet tall, with white flowers in late spring and summer, and deeply lobed green leaves that turn bronze or crimson in fall. Part shade in hottest climates.

Shade-loving plants: 7 & 8

7. Rhododendron 'Anna H. Hall' Pink-tinged white flowers on an evergreen shrub that grows 3 to 6 feet tall. Best in filtered sun, but can take more sun where summers are foggy.

8. Western azalea (Rhododendron occidentale) An upright shrub, native to the mountains and foothills

of California and Oregon. Grows 6 to 10 feet tall; fragrant, funnel-like blooms range from white to pinkish white. Filtered light.

The plan

1. Patio with decomposed granite underfoot, a cooling fountain, a stacked-stone seating wall, and plenty of room for large gatherings.

2. Shaded retreat for two beneath tall cedar trees.

3. Outdoor dining and work area.