When planning the layout of your deck, don’t forget to consider plants for the space. Plants enhance the look and feel of your outdoor living area. While plants are both functional and beautiful, here are some helpful tips to keep in mind when choosing plants for your deck.
Pest Repellent Varieties
When enjoying your deck, you don’t want to spend the entire time swatting at flies or smacking mosquitoes. Instead of using bug spray, consider plants that will naturally do the job for you. Here are a few of our favorites and what bugs they keep away:
- Petunias – these brightly colored flowers not only look and smell amazing, but they also keep away beetles, aphids, and tomato worms
- Marigolds – golden and beautiful, marigolds will help keep mosquitoes and aphids out of your deck garden space
- Lavender – both flagrant and beautiful, known to repel mosquitoes, fleas, flies, and moths
- Alliums – large purple flowers that defend against cabbage worms, aphids, carrot flies, and slugs
Containers
When caring for your plants and flowers, consider using containers for your deck. Unless you have ample space to create planter boxes for soil and irrigation, containers is the way to go. You can plant a wide variety of flowers, shrubs, and grasses in containers. Some of the easiest plants to care for include geranium, hibiscus, lantana, coleus, and Japanese forest grass. But don’t limit yourself to this short list. Visit your local garden center for more ideas for the best container flowers and grasses for your deck.
Plant for Privacy
Not all deck owners will have a need to create a privacy barrier, but those that would like more privacy, can plant their way to a private oasis. Use your creativity to create a more private deck with shrubs, trees, and bushes right on your deck. Small evergreen trees and shrubs that grow tall instead of wider are a great option. Using arborvitae and cypress are both good choices that you can keep in containers that will grow into a natural wall of greenery.
Clematis is a flowering vine that is a beautiful way to create a curtain between you and your neighbors. Boxwoods are a beautiful shrub that you can plant in a row to make a screen for your deck. You can also include some horsetail reed grass or even some bamboo for a similar effect. A combination of these privacy creating plants can make your deck both secluded and beautiful.
Plants can elevate any deck to its full potential. However, if you are unhappy with your current deck situation, maybe it’s time for a change. If you’re looking to install or upgrade your residential deck, call our team at Wahoo Decks. We will design the most durable and functional deck for your home. Then you can create the garden deck oasis you’ve been dreaming of.
And as always- don’t forget to tag @WahooDecks on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn!