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If you're planning a deck installation this spring, one of the things you may be wondering is how your new deck will fit in with the landscape of your yard. The purpose of landscaping around a deck is to make the deck itself more attractive and to help the deck blend into the natural surroundings in your yard. 

Landscaping should obscure the boundaries of the deck and hide the underside, without blocking your view from the deck or making it difficult to access the parts underneath the deck. These tips will help you as you lay plans for your deck installation and landscaping.

Keep Plants Contained

Avoid landscaping with plants that are likely to need frequent trimming or pruning in order to stay contained. Vining plants will climb up the rails of your deck, which will contribute to wood rot and create maintenance problems over time. Shrubs, small trees and flowering annuals will be the easiest to keep contained to the area around your deck, without worrying that the plants will grow out of control and degrade the protective coating on your deck's wood.

Build Landscaping from Smallest to Largest

For logistical reasons, it's a good idea to plant the shorter plants in the front of the garden bed and plant larger shrubs toward the back of the garden bed, closer to the deck's perimeter. This will make it easy to see all your shrubs from the areas of your yard outside your deck, and will make it easier to maintain the plants throughout the year.

Planter Boxes

Planter boxes are a great way to add greenery to your deck. You can even have your planter boxes built onto the deck as a permanent part of the structure. As you plan your deck installation, speak with your contractor about installing planter boxes at regular intervals along the railing of the deck to add greenery and color to your landscaping scheme. Your contractor may have special instructions for maintaining the planter boxes, because watering the plants in the planter boxes will degrade the wood if they're not properly sealed and maintained.

Keep the Underside Accessible

It's important for you and future contractors to be able to access the underside of your deck for maintenance purposes. Keep your landscaping plants far enough apart from one another that a person can squeeze between the shrubs to access the underside of the deck if necessary. Use mulch to make the ground around the deck easy to walk on, and consider building a pathway out of stepping stones leading to the underside of your deck.

For more information about how your deck might affect your landscaping, speak with a deck installation contractor like Reeves Exterior Services and a certified landscaper or gardener. Good luck with your upcoming deck installation and landscaping project!