What do you see?
Do you see an open lawn or, maybe it’s a small enclosed area?
What could you see as a focal point in your view?
How do you feel about your deck?
Is it quiet and cozy or more of an open space where you would prefer more privacy?
The answers to these questions will determine how you will landscape around your deck, porch and patio outdoor living areas.
Let’s discuss patios and low level decks and porches first. Your point of view from sitting in your chair should be with you looking through the lawn area. Basically, the lawn becomes an extension of that outdoor space.
Low-level sitting areas take more advantage of the open areas. Colors and textures can be used effectively from the immediate areas on to the outlying regions. The view will incorporate more of the ground up to the lower areas of trees. So, be sure to add in lots of colorful perennial plants and small flowering shrubs into the outlying landscape.
In landscaping around the perimeter of your low-level deck, patio or porch, you will want to select plants that are low growing to prevent blocking the view of the lawn. Remember to allow for stepping-stones or other access to the outlying areas.
When planting along the edges of your structure, select low growing garden plants and. Staying in the two to just over three foot height range should work quite well, especially with taller plants in that range that are airy at the tops such as ornamental grasses.
The following flowering shrubs and evergreen perennial plants that make excelle
