The way to Landscape Around an Outdoor Kitchen
Outside living is at its best when you integrate a built-in, open-air kitchen to the landscape. Fueled by Gasoline or electrical power, a very simple grill cooktop or even a more intricate setup having an outside oven becomes the point where grill masters and home chefs superstar in tasty productions. Include attractive landscaping and plants elements in your overall outdoor cooking place layout to assist create a beautiful space for al fresco dining and entertainment.
Install a brick, paver-stone or stamped-concrete patio as an extension of this outside kitchen area. The smooth, flat surface is acceptable for outdoor dining sets, with seats that’ll be scooted around during meals, and also for diners who always prefer to carry plates full of drinks and food across a surface which isn’t likely to trip them up.
Add a living privacy display that doubles as a windbreak to protect the cook and diners from prying eyes and cold breezes. A row of evergreen arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis), which grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 through 8, or upright junipers (Juniperus spp.) , which grow in USDA zones 3 to 9, provide a dense foliage barrier against the outside world. For a lighter touch, side-by-side clumps of Golden Goddess bamboo (Bambusa multiplex “Golden Goddess”) thrive in USDA zones 8 through 10 and grow up to 10 feet tall.
Accent the kitchen layout, and subtly separate it in the outside dining area, with several large, decorative planter boxes or urns. Hibiscus (Hibiscus spp.) Plants from the containers bring shiny green leaf and dramatically large, vibrant blossoms to landscapes in USDA zones 5 through 11. Little conifers and topiary are several other appealing options.
Plant culinary herbs directly in the ground in garden beds surrounding the outside dining and kitchen area, or in container gardens in the deck’s border. Chives (Allium schoenoprasum), basil (Ocimum basilicum), Greek oregano (Origanum v. hurtum) and marjoram (Orignum majorana) will be right in the cook’s hands to choose for new herb flavors. Include several large, upright rosemary shrubs (Rosmarinus officinalis), which grow as evergreen perennials at USDA zones 7 and 8, to clip and use as skewers for aromatic grilled kabobs. Plant several kinds of mint (Menthus spp.) In pots to prevent their roots from aggressively spreading to other areas of the garden, and also to have on hand for mixing iced tea, mint juleps and mojitos.
String rope lights throughout the kitchen’s beams or wrap them about support columns to add a festive glow to nighttime cooking affairs. Install landscape spotlights aimed upward at the solitude hedge or in adjacent house walls to bring an atmosphere of soft light to the atmosphere.