Backyard Landscaping Ideas: Garden Structures

A stark white modern pergola provides the perfect outdoor seating area for the backyard of a contemporary home. The rectangular shape creates a sense of confined space. A chandelier hangs from a middle beam to offer romantic candlelight after dark. The dining set, a white table and chairs, match the pergola's simple style. A backdrop of trees creates privacy for all.

A bold archway with lattice sides creates a grand seating area, which is on a raised platform and decked out with a cushioned love seat and potted plants. A window inset in the back of the structure adds a sense of depth. Lattice fencing flanks the seating structure.

This adorable outdoor garden structure looks like it was plucked from the pages of a fairy tale. The shingled roof (with decorative finial) offers protection from sun and rain. See-through lattice panels form the sides, offering a shield from the elements and allowing gentle breezes to blow through.

An outdoor structure doesn't have to be elaborate to be beautiful. Here, a summerhouse made from screen doors that are hinged together offers a simple backyard seating area. Topped with a fabric canopy and furnished with a comfy, pillow-laden couch and chair, this seating area can be set up for a weekend party or family reunion. A roll-down screen in the front makes it a perfect nook for an afternoon nap or even a night of sleeping under the stars.

A natural entrance! This rustic, handcrafted garden structure features tree limbs and branches as part of the design. The rough-hewn door opens to the entryway to a garden. A shake-shingle pitched roof tops the structure.

Open and airy, yet offering a sense of enclosure, this fabulous metal onion-dome structure is a magical place to enjoy meals or drinks with friends and family. For flower lovers, a wire gazebo is also a perfect place to train fragrant climbing roses.

An outdoor square structure facilitates al fresco entertaining. Positioned on the back of the house, this elegant pergola sits on a simple concrete slab. For a sense of privacy, fabric drapes surround the dining area. A stream with recirculating pump adds the natural sound of flowing water to the lovely outdoor dining area.

A cedar pergola overtop a flagstone patio makes an ideal backyard retreat. A grilling area allows food to be prepared tableside. And a porch swing, hanging on one end of the outdoor structure, provides an area to kick back and relax. The pergola-patio is edged with low-growing flowers.

A pergola is a natural way to connect a home to the landscape. Here, a long, narrow pergola is painted crisp white to match the trim of the house. Low-growing shrubs form attractive mounds of foliage and flowers at the base of the pergola.

Enjoy the entire summer outdoors with a pavilion in your backyard. The 1940s modern style of this structure features clean and simple lines, a stone fireplace with a copper chimney, and metal roof. An outdoor fireplace means you can use outdoor spaces once cool weather sets in.

A simple gazebo offers a shaded spot in this backyard. The stepped base of the gazebo is made of stone. A cedar shake roof, ceiling fan, and open walls keep even the hottest day cool and breezy.

Nothing beats a classic white arbor as a garden focal point. This patio area features a center raised garden bed with an arbor as the framing backdrop. An arbor, besides offering vertical structure to the garden, also provides a platform for climbing roses and annual vines.

A swing surrounded by a lattice arbor says "summer relaxation" like nothing else. The airy structure visually anchors the deck. Lattice on top of an outdoor garden structure provides a great place to hang baskets of shade-loving plants, such as the ferns shown here.

A greenhouse in the backyard offers several possibilities: It's a place to garden or a spot to relax or entertain. The wooden decking connects the space between the house and the windowed outdoor structure.

After a hot afternoon of gardening or for an après pool rinse off, nothing beats a cool shower. This outdoor shower is made from weather-resistant cedar and features wrought-iron hardware. A scalloped door opens to the changing area.

Nothing dresses up a plain pergola faster than scrambling, spreading grapevines. Planted at the base of each support, grapevines add lush foliage that shades the seating area beneath. Another benefit? Fresh fruit for the picking, of course. Just pluck a ripened cluster as you relax.

A garden arbor can provide more than a focal point: This one also offers a beautiful place to sit. Flowering vines clad the arbor, a great way to create vertical garden space. Perennial vines--those that come back year after year--include roses, clematis, and trumpet vine.