Wood Lattice

Enjoying your deck is definitely a high point of summer. But if you really want to ice the cake and put a big cherry on top, you need great landscaping to go with that awesome deck.

Landscaping on and around you deck not only adds to the deck’s visual appeal, it can enhance usability. Many landscaping improvements are easy enough to be done in one weekend.

Here are some deck design ideas to create the perfect environment on and around your deck:
Planter post caps
Made of cast stone, Deckorators’ planter post caps add the charm of flowers and greenery to a deck. Available in copper round and square black finishes, these unique post caps fit standard 4 x 4 or 6 x 6 wood posts. A drain hole ensures plants thrive longer. Helpful hint: Since decks get a lot of sun throughout the day, fill your planter post caps with flowers that thrive in full sun. Fill and strategically position flower pots, railing planters and hanging baskets accordingly…

Stylish stepping stones
Stepping stones are both beautiful and practical. Arts and Crafts-style stepping stones create an exotic look in your yard or garden and provide a smooth, level walking surface leading up to your deck. Outdoor Essentials offers them in smooth serpentine jade stone or hand-crafted Tiffany-style serpentine jade pieces.

Garden post caps
If you’ve put a lot of work into landscaping around a deck, you’ll want a smart, good-looking way to protect it. Garden post caps fit the bill, adding decorative flair to very functional garden posts. The posts help define a boundary between planting beds and walking paths, protecting vegetation from garden hoses and wandering feet.

Garden post caps, made with serpentine jade add charm and style. Or, opt for solar post caps for a soothing glow that provides gentle illumination at night.

Lattice
Another landscaping accent that is both beautiful and functional is lattice. Dimensions plastic lattice is available in a variety of colors, sizes and styles, and can be used in many ways to add style and privacy to your deck and landscaping.

Plastic lattice can be a decorative privacy screen around a hot tub or pool deck, a garden accent or a foundation for vines and other greenery. Most types of lattice snap or slide together and all you’ll need to assemble them is a screwdriver.

Add stainlettes to your plastic lattice and enhance the beauty of your area with decorative Tiffany-glass accents.

Landscaping around a deck can be the crowning glory on your outdoor environment. Fortunately, with the right accents and a weekend’s worth of work, it’s easy to create a beautiful backdrop for your deck.

Check out one of my past blog posts entitled "Outdoor improvements offer great return on investment".

In 2009 more than 41 million Americans planted vegetable gardens—a number expected to increase as food costs climb, according to a recent Gardening Trends Research Report. When you factor in flowers, herbs and fruits, it’s difficult to find a home where people are not working the soil on a warm sunny day.

Aside from the obvious benefits of fresh flowers and produce, gardening provides low-impact, calorie-burning exercise. One hour of gardening burns as many as 375 calories. While love of gardening has not changed, methods continue to evolve. And one of the top trends is raised-bed gardening.

Tending a raised bed requires less bending and stooping, and is ideal for yards with poor soil. Rather than working to improve heavy clay soil or adding body to sandy soil, you’re starting with a clean slate. Raised beds are particularly useful for community gardens and urban gardens in areas with compacted or root-bound soil.

The key to success is preparation, says Mark Dwyer, Director of Horticulture at Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville, Wis. “Ninety percent of success is the prep work done ahead of planting,’’ Dwyer said. This includes finding a location that gets six to eight hours of direct sun each day.

ppOnce the site is chosen, determine the size of your garden. A first-timer should start small—don’t overwhelm yourself with a massive plot. Start with one or two raised garden beds measuring 4 feet by 8 feet. Select a location that offers room to grow, should you choose to expand your garden in subsequent years.

No matter what size raised bed you choose, the frame needs to be structurally sound and attractive. Helping to fill this niche are durable, decorative M Brace metal brackets from Outdoor Essentials. The patented, corner brackets let you create an attractive, sturdy raised garden bed in just minutes using common 2x6 and 2x4 lumber, and no tools.

The M Brace’s sturdy, recycled metal frame keeps boards seated securely at the corners. Sold in four-packs, these decorative brackets provide greater design flexibility—even for a large garden bed, 12 feet long. You can use a solid corner brace or choose from eight cut-out designs including carrot, pebble and sunshine. The M Brace raised garden bed brackets come in unfinished steel that will rust gracefully over time or powder-coated in an antique bronze finish. Watch a video on The M Brace.

Serpentine jade or handcrafted Tiffany-style jade stepping stones lend visual appeal to your garden / outdoor living space and protect soil and plants from being trampled.

To keep deer, rabbits and other critters at bay, consider a decorative enclosure using end caps and lattice. Fence posts—4x4 or 6x6—are ideal. Once fence posts are set, enclose the garden with decorative wood or plastic lattice, leaving a narrow opening or a hinged gate for access.

Make your enclosed garden an eye-catching centerpiece by topping off the end posts with elegant Planter Post Caps. The decorative caps, available in two styles and colors, add dimension and color to the garden. Caps are available in square and round designs, with a black or copper finish. Plant colorful flowers or trailing vines in the post cap planters to create horizontal interest.

The key to a bountiful harvest—be it fruits, vegetables or flowers—is successful pollination. Brightly colored flowers attract bees and hummingbirds, as will fresh water. Add a luminous green birdbath in serpentine jade to attract birds all summer and to provide an architectural focal point inside your garden.

“Think outside the box,” recommends Rotary Botanical Gardens’ Dwyer. Add a few herbs—or anything you want—to make the garden uniquely yours. And don’t discount edible landscape ornamentals: “Many fresh herbs and vegetables can contribute their own charm to an informal border or container,’’ Dwyer adds.

Whether for a relaxing hobby or for the desire to grow nutritious fruits and vegetables for you and your neighbors, now is the perfect time to start a garden of your own. Happy planting!

Installing deck skirting on your Latitudes composite lumber deck or pressure treated wood deck will help hide an uninteresting open area and will give your custom-built deck a more robust look and design appeal. Deck skirting also helps keep unwanted animals from getting under the deck, hides the treated lumber framing and adds privacy for raised decks with hot tubs.

Most deck skirting is constructed with lattice panels or vertical boards made from treated wood or composite decking. Lattice is available in both pressure-treated wood and plastic. Plastic deck lattice is available in several different patterns, sizes and colors. Wood lattice can be painted or stained to match or complement the deck or home’s color palette. Add a unique design touch on plastic lattice with easy-to-install tiffany-style glass stainlettes.

As a rule of thumb, you should make sure to include an "under deck" access point for taller areas being enclosed as you may want to use the free space under your deck as a storage area or for quick access underneath the deck.

• Gates
• Hot tub enclosures
• Fence tops
• Arbors
• Gazebos and trellises