How to Design an Entertaining Garden

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Welcome family, friends and business associates to the oasis you've created in the backyard. Design a garden especially for entertaining and make room for everyone to eat, drink and be merry.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Flower Bulbs
Measuring Tapes
Plants
Seeds
Pencils
Graph Papers

Step1

Locate your entertaining garden wherever it suits your style. Patios, decks and pools lure you to landscape them with guests in mind, but so will the lawn area or side yard that you design the garden around.

Step2

Design for the comfort of your visitors - everyone appreciates a flat path to walk on and reasonable access to indoor facilities. Include swing sets, an outdoor cooking area and formal seating for six if you'll use them.

Step3

Measure the space available and envision places to sit, providing garden beds or pots to look at. Draw the garden - the garden beds and furniture - on graph paper.

Step4

Surround the space with planting beds designed for low maintenance and evergreen good looks. Use reliable shrubs as the bones of this planting. Try not to block views unless they need to be screened out.

Step5

Define the edges of the garden clearly with pavers, bricks or landscape timbers - they'll look neat year-round. Plan for ground covers in organic mulch between the shrubs and add seasonal annuals.

Step6

Design a path to lead from your back door to the entertaining garden - let it wind through the rest of your garden on its way. Add garden lighting for a romantic touch.

Step7

Collect favorite garden accessories and design a baffle wall to display them on. Start with basic furniture, but don't stop until you've added a sculpture and a couple of signs or candleholders that reflect your personal garden style.