5 Easy Deck Landscaping Ideas

If your deck is feeling a little sparse, now is the perfect time to spruce it up with some landscaping. Adding plants, shrubbery, fencing, and other simple decorations can add vibrancy and life to your deck.

Fortunately, you don’t have to have a green thumb or a designer’s eye to decorate – there are plenty of easy deck landscaping ideas that anyone can do. 

To get you started, here are 5 deck landscaping ideas to give your yard a makeover. 

What are Some Good Deck Landscaping Ideas?

Let’s start with what landscaping is exactly. Landscaping refers to any visual modifications on and around your deck. That includes anything from natural elements like plants and trees to man-made structures like fences and sculptures. 

Good landscaping can make your deck feel like a more natural extension of your home and yard. Take some inspiration from the following deck landscaping ideas and let your creativity run wild! 

1. Surround Your Deck with a Garden

No matter the height or size of your deck, a garden is a great way to add visual appeal. Flowers, shrubs, and potted plants can add natural beauty to your deck.

For those with smaller, ground-level decks, plant low-growing plants around the perimeter. By spacing them out, you can create the illusion of a sprawling deck. Adding potted plants on the ground can trick the eye into thinking the deck is larger than it is.

If your deck is large, you can have fun with larger plants to make the space look less empty. Large flower bushes make a great accent around the edges of your deck and will help fill the space. If you can coordinate these bushes with the landscaping of your yard or lawn, it will visually tie together your entire property.

Those with elevated decks can fill in the area around the posts and deck skirting with large bushes and gardens. If there are areas below the deck that receive a lot of sun, you can plant flowering bushes. If there’s a lot of shade, stick to low-growing plants that thrive in less sunlight.

2. Put Plants On Top of Your Deck

Your landscaping ideas can extend onto the surface of your deck, too. 

Potted plants are a simple yet tasteful way to add interest and charm. You can use large potted plants to soften corners and fill empty unused space. Smaller pots and window boxes are great for adding splashes of color on tables and around your deck.

A wood lattice is a great place to add vine plants such as ivy or tomatoes. You can hang window boxes, hanging plants, and other decor on the lattice. They also offer more deck privacy and shade during certain times of the day.

If you’re worried about upkeep, choose low maintenance plants like cacti and succulents. These require very little water and still look beautiful.

3. Add Rocks and Paths

Not a green thumb, or just don’t have time to tend to a garden? Consider adding decorative rocks and paths around your deck instead.

Those with small, modern deck designs will particularly enjoy landscaping with rocks and paths. Paths are a great way to extend the space around your deck, making the area feel larger. As with a garden, connecting paths around your deck and into your yard will give a sense of cohesion to your home’s exterior.

Rocks are also the perfect solution for those who want a low maintenance option. Landscaping with decorative gravel, pebbles, or stones can be just as beautiful as a living garden, but it’s far less work. Add a few hardy bushes or small trees to add some color and bring it all together.

4. Mulch and Edging

Another easy deck landscaping idea is to add decorative edging around your deck. 

Landscape edging is exactly what it sounds like: a border on the edge of a flower bed, a pathway, or even a single tree. It can have practical uses, like keeping mulch in place, or it can be purely decorative. 

Like rocks and pebbles, edging is very low-maintenance and can make your deck and yard feel more attractive. It can be made from stone, wood, brick, or even plastic. 

If you have a large square or rectangular deck, a curved edge can help offset too many straight lines.

But you don’t need to stick to curves! If you like straight lines and geometric shapes, you can recreate shapes and lines beyond your deck to make the space feel larger. For yards of any size, landscape edging is a great way to contain plants, pebbles, or mulch.

Speaking of mulch, you can get creative by using mulch to add a splash of earth tones to your yard. Cedar mulch, for example, can lighten the area around or below your deck. Red or gray mulch makes a great accent to light-colored decks.

5. Add Shade to Your Deck

While we all enjoy the summer sun to some degree, having shade is a nice reprieve. 

One of the simplest ways to add shade to your deck is by planting trees. Large trees not only add shade, but they can give you more privacy and make your deck and yard feel like an escape from your busy surroundings.

A shade-roof structure, depending on the style you choose, can add anything from protection from the rain to another place to add hanging plants. You could choose fully covered shelter, a lattice overhead, or a soft ceiling made with outdoor fabric. Structures like this can make your deck feel cozy and relaxing. 

Keep Your Deck Landscaping Simple

As you come up with deck landscaping ideas, remember to keep things simple. Don’t try to do everything all at once – adding too much can make your deck and yard feel small, overcrowded, and busy.

Be judicious with your landscaping and make sure you still have room to move around. It doesn’t need to look like a picture in a magazine – just focus on making it a place you really like.If you’re interested in adding a deck to your backyard, upgrading a current one, or you’re in need of some tools and supplies, contact us! We have everything you need to start making your deck feel like home.