Entertaining Backyards From A-Z

An arbor serves as a welcoming open door to your guests. The Grumpy Gardener, Steve Bender, created this one from scratch with a little help from friends. Maybe he's not so grumpy after all.

• Create your own arbor

Filling your yard with flora doesn't have to cost a bundle. This lush border of zinnias, sunflowers, and roses was built for $410, including the birdbath.

• Add blooms on a budget

Like the paint and fabric colors you choose for your home, the hues in your yard and garden convey your personality and sense of style. A popular choice in the South is blue, which cools the hottest summer days.

• How to fill your yard with color
• How to cool down with color

You'd never fill your living or dining room with folding chairs and tray tables, so why do the same on your deck? Make the most of this outdoor room and give your home an instant makeover.

• Tips to transform your deck

Got stubborn soil? Quit fighting with it and fill raised beds with more cooperative stuff. We built this one for around $50.

• How to build a raised bed

Thoughtfully chosen fabrics for your upholstered outdoor furniture will give your porch or patio a polished appeal.

• Ideas for using outdoor fabrics

Tip: Friends will overlook a multitude of backyard imperfections to savor a smoky grilled dinner, like these Sweet-Hot Baby Back Ribs.

• Grilling recipe collection
• Tips for grilling with gas or charcoal

Private gardens and courtyards not only make invited guests feel extra special, they also do year-round duty as relaxing personal sanctuaries.

• See 3 private courtyards around the South

Even veteran garden gazers like Associate Garden Editor Rebecca Reed look for inspiration around every hedge. Keep your eyes open for fresh ideas you can incorporate into your own backyard.

• Rebecca's 10 favorite outdoor spaces

No phrase on earth is more welcoming than "What can I get you to drink?" Whether your guests prefer classic cocktails or less-potent punch, consider an outdoor wetbar or rolling cart to make entertaining effortless.

• Classic Mint Juleps
• Sparkling Grape Juice-Lemonade
• Kane's Peppery Bloody Mary
• Scarlet Margaritas
• Slightly Sweet Tea

Homeowners who install an outdoor kitchen for entertaining soon find it's an everyday way to keep the house cool while enjoying their backyard retreat. Even small spaces can host the applicances and prep areas you need.

• More about this courtyard kitchen

Don't let the sun go down on your party without providing adequate lighting. In addition to its obvious benefits ("Where's my drink?"), ambient lighting can set the tone, from convivial to intimate.

• Learn how to use outdoor lighting

Feeling overwhelmed by options A-L? Take a breather. If your local nursery operates like Nectar & Company in Thomaston, Georgia, you can rent a temporary makeover for your home and garden. Nectar uses pretty potted plants and flowers to accomplish the task.

• Instant party makeover

Pick plants that are native to your region so they'll love your soil and climate. Local garden bloggers are an invaluable resource in finding the ones that will grow best.

• Regional bloggers share the plants they can't live without

Ponds and fountains cool your yard and add visual appeal. The big star, of course, is a well-appointed swimming pool. Surround it with lush flora for an intoxicating area guests will dread to leave.

• Lush landscaped pool (pictured)
• Koi ponds 101
• How to achieve poolside perfection

One of the most gracious aspects of Southern life is the ability to sit out on the patio. Some of our favorite patios had exceptionally humble beginnings–one was a dilapidated garage while another was merely cramped and dark. The patio pictured was built in a formerly awkward side yard.

• Garage-turned-patio
• We expanded our small patio
• Side-yard patio

Whether you're landscaping your first backyard or your fifth, experts abound who've thought about entertaining outdoors from every angle. Case in point, the architects of our 2009 Southern Home Award for Best Outdoor Space.

• Q & A with architects Erik and Marianne Vogt

Speaking of the Vogts, the focus of their winning outdoor space wasn't a backyard at all, but an enchanting rooftop overlooking the ocean. If you're running out of terra firma, consider moving the party skyward.

• Winning outdoor space: Alys Beach rooftop deck

Inevitably, your guests will cease mingling en masse and look for spots to relax and visit. Create conversational areas by grouping seating and accent tables for groups of 2-5 people, like you'll see throughout our idea house in Asheville, North Carolina. For maximum charm, consider a porch swing.

• See details of the Asheville, NC idea house
• Tips for choosing outdoor furniture
• How to install a porch swing

When choosing indoor dining furniture, we often base our choices on the size of the room. In the expanse of outdoors, consider how many guests you will generally entertain. You can then plan the dining area to accommodate your guests, rather than the other way around.

• Decorating outdoor spaces

Umbrellas or tents provide daytime guests a respite from the sun's rays; vine-covered pergolas or floral awnings are an exquisite touch. Equally important is a plan B for unpredictable spring and summer weather. Permanent structures like loggias, gazebos, and covered patios can solve both problems.

• Buying umbrellas and tents
• New Orleans guesthouse with extended covered patio

Pretty kitchen gardens can be just as inviting as an English rose garden with a little thought and planning. The natural bonus: you can serve guests meals made with fresh ingredients that are as local as they come.

• Creating a pretty vegetable garden
• Southern Gardening Guide to growing fruits and vegetables
• Growing herbs in containers

Unless you'd like your stiletto-clad friends to aerate the lawn, add walkways to provide guests a foothold and manage party traffic. Tightly woven pavers, like the ones pictured here from our idea house in Pine Mountain, Georgia, are formal wear-friendly. Scatter stepping stones or put down gravel or oyster shells for a more natural look that's better traversed in comfy shoes.

• See details of the Pine Mountain, GA idea house
• Meandering path through a cottage garden

For a backyard that will generate buzz long after the party's ended, add a final touch that's unique to your home. Ideas include climbing vines in an eye-catching pattern, a one-of-a-kind water feature, or a pretty painted floor. Guests may never put their finger on quite what it is that sets your yard apart.

• Easy growing vines
• Recycled materials find new life in a pool
• Painted cottage porch

Taking your yard from bleak to blooming requires a little patience. Though you may have some control over constructed features, plants grow on their own schedule. Keeping a yard calendar with snapshots will quell antsy feelings while you wait. Blog the transformation to whet guests' appetite for your first party.

• Keeping a yard calendar

Exhausted yet? Me, too; let's take a nap. A sleeping porch is the perfect spot for afternoon snoozing or housing sleepovers. Take breaks from your backyard transformation in a simple hammock and wake up refreshed and ready for more. It's o.k.―you've earned it.

• Learn about the sleeping porch in the Choudrant, Louisiana idea house
• Take a virtual tour around the backyard hammock at our Pine Mountain, Georgia idea house