Fire Pit Landscaping

Stone

• Fire pits are typically placed near a patio where people gather for meals and nighttime star gazing. Surrounding the fire pit with a crushed stone to catch stray embers is not only a safety precaution, but it also adds textural contrast to the existing paved patio whether it's made of bricks, pavers or large pieces of natural stone. Line the patio with a crushed stone border or medium-size fieldstones to tie the fire pit into the patio.

Flowers

• Plant flowerbeds within eyesight of the fire pit but at least 6 feet away for safety. Flowers add color and energy to a landscape and offer a calming place to rest your eyes while sitting by the fire. Choose night-blooming scented flowers to appreciate the blossoms when you'll use the fire pit the most. Moonflowers produce large white blossoms from late spring through the beginning of winter. Cereus blossoms are white and fill evening air with a sweet fragrance. For color, evening primrose flowers are a delicate yellow with a subtle aroma, and you can eat them.

Hedges

• Create an enclosed feeling around the fire pit by adding hedges for privacy. Train the hedges to grow tall, and trim arched or pyramid tops for visual interest. White fir is an evergreen hedge with silver green and blue foliage. Add color with the red leaves of Japanese barberry hedges. If privacy is not an issue, adding thick, low-growing hedges like American and European beech will block the wind while you're sitting down. Note that all hedges and tree branches should be trimmed back from the fire pit a minimum of 6 feet.

Groundcover

• Groundcover plants bring the greenery of a lush lawn without the maintenance. Plant groundcover around the fire pit and nearby walkways for thick foliage with intricate details. Ivy, for example, grows tiny delicate leaves and spreads quickly over an area. Install a piece of wood lattice, and ivy will climb up it to form a thick privacy screen. Creeping Juniper will bring a woodsy feel to the landscape with its pine scent while crown vetch produces dainty white and pink flowers in summer.