Need some really fresh ideas for your back yard landscaping? Want something more than just a patio with a few shrubs? Here are some great ideas that will put some life into your back yard. These ideas could make your back yard landscaping the best gathering place in the neighborhood! If you want activities for all of your family and friends, let us suggest that you think about:

1. Outdoor fireplace designs
2. Outdoor kitchen ideas
3. pool landscaping ideas

These ideas will give you something to do from sun-up until far past sun-down. You can go for a morning dip in the pool, have an afternoon meal prepared in your outdoor kitchen, and then have a gathering in the evening around the fireplace. 

Outdoor fireplace designs can range from a simple ring of rocks in the grass to an elegant fireplace next to your patio that rivals the most beautiful fireplace you’ve ever seen in an indoor ‘great room’… complete with stone facing, a mantle, a hearth, and a built-in log storage area. Let’s start by discussing a more simple ‘fire ring’. Typically, a ‘fire ring’ will be 4 or more feet in diameter, and have a fire-safe base (to protect tree roots, etc). The ring can be made of natural fieldstone, or large blocky type boulders, or even be a raised ring of pre-cast concrete blocks with a cap-block. These raised concrete block fire rings should have a liner that protects these blocks from heat, and two commonly used liners are either ‘fire brick’ or a section of a large metal culvert. Fire rings can be circular or square; large or small; naturalistic or formal. Whatever the style, they all will provide hours of enjoyment, and add that special touch to your backyard. Next, let’s discuss an outdoor fireplace. Yes, you can build a fireplace that looks just as beautiful and elegant as one that you’ve always admired indoors. There are kits made that get put together for the basic structure. They are made of concrete sections and come in many styles. They are to be faced with stone or brick and have many possible design features such as a semi-circular raised hearth, or a granite mantle, or even an inset area for logs with an arc shape. The facing on one of these fireplaces should look good with whatever type of patio surface you have. Just imagine sitting in front of one of these impressive fireplaces on your stone patio on a cool spring evening. The fire crackles, the moon shines above, the fragrance from the lilacs wafts by, and you are relaxed just loving life. Outdoor fireplace designs are one of the most popular of backyard landscaping ideas. Everybody loves sitting near a warm fire with friends and family in their own back yard.

Outdoor kitchens are another exciting idea for your back yard. Kits are made for these features, and just like the fireplace kits, outdoor kitchens come in many kit sizes, styles and options. They are typically constructed out of pre-formed concrete blocks and can also have facing of stone or brick if you like. Features that are available are many; Set-in gas grills, countertops, built-in mini refrigerators, cupboards, eating counters for pub style seats, etc. Outdoor kitchens definitely add beauty and value to your home. It is wonderful to be able to look out of your patio windows and see a gorgeous, permanent, built-in outdoor kitchen on one end of your patio with a fireplace and seating area nearby. 

Last, but not least, in this discussion of great backyard landscaping ideas is landscaping around a pool. Have you always dreamed of having a pool? Do you already have a pool, and it is currently pretty bare, with nothing more than some surrounding concrete and perhaps a few plantings and a fence? Why not incorporate a fire place and an outdoor kitchen into your pool landscaping ideas? Then, make it complete by adding beautiful shrub and flower beds. You will want to make sure that you have patio space enough for lounge chairs for sunbathing. Try considering an overhead structure such as a pergola for some shade. A Pergola is a great option for shade near a pool instead of a shade tree, because it avoids the problem of leaves falling into the pool in the fall. Then don’t forget about concealing the pool utilities. A pretty storage building that matches the style of your home could provide a place to store the pool toys and put the furniture in the winter. Pool landscaping ideas can tie it all together. You could incorporate a pool, patio, fireplace, outdoor kitchen, pergola, and the other ideas mentioned to make the best backyard you could ever imagine! 

With all of these backyard landscaping ideas, you can let your wildest landscaping dreams come to life. Beauty and functionality are words that will describe your new backyard. You will say "WOW!” every time you step into your new back yard.