There is a wide variety to choose from when it comes to an outdoor hearth for a garden landscape. Some are traditional hearths, freestanding portables, chimineas, and fire pits that are low and circular. Some are wood burning, gas fired, and even some that will burn either wood or gas. An outdoor hearth for a garden landscape will fit any design you have.

Some of them come with a cooking grill and some resemble a charcoal barbecue grill. The outdoor hearth comes in all different sizes and shapes. If you want something very casual, a portable fire pit will probably fit your needs. You can choose, depending on your style, anywhere from contemporary to rustic. Whatever type of outdoor hearth you decide on make sure your local fire regulations will allow you to actually use it.

The traditional outdoor hearth is designed with a chimney and a brick or stone facing, similar to the fireplace inside your home. It is usually built with a stainless steel firebox and is constructed to survive the outdoor elements. Most of them also come with some sort of drain system that eliminates the build-up of precipitation. These hearths are usually installed on a permanent basis and must meet the local building codes for your area.

For many, many years, craftsmen from Mexico have built chimineas, which is a free standing wood stove, of terra cotta material. They were originally used for baking but at the same time were a good place to warm up for family and friends during outdoor gatherings. They are still constructed today in the old style form and are now mainly used for warming guests in our gardens. Today the construction material may include clay, cast aluminum, or cast iron. Clay resembles the terra cotta of old but is susceptible to breaking; cast iron and cast aluminum are more durable and aluminum is rustfree.

The freestanding portable units are generally constructed of stainless steel and have a steel mesh screen. They are often on wheels and have handles for easy movement from place to place. Some even offer a 360 degree view of the flames and some have a door that is removable in order to view the fire.

Fire pits are low and circular that can be built into the ground or elevated on their own structure. Many in ground fire pits are just an open area of ground installed with a gas line and surrounded by a low wall constructed of concrete or brick. The free standing pit can resemble a low circular table with the fire pit in the center which includes a steel screen to control the sparks. Another fire pit model is a simple unit that consists of a circular pit that fits onto a unit of 4 legs; it also includes a separate steel screen and is lightweight. This is the type of fire pit that is in my garden and we have placed it on top of twelve by twelve pavers. If rain is expected all we do is turn the pit upside down and place it back on the legs so that water does not collect in it.

Your traditional outdoor hearth is usually built with an outdoor living room in mind and more formal. The chiminea and fire pit are more for casual living in the garden and some can be moved around from place to place enhancing your landscape. Any type of outdoor hearth for a garden landscape creates a feeling of tranquility, ambience, and place just for relaxing in the early evening.