Product Description

Decks are popular in North American landscapes because they serve as outdoor sanctuaries. They are in the back yard, where life is quiet and less hectic. The deck is the perfect place to read the Sunday paper, listen to a ballgame, or entertain when the weather's nice. But a large, flat expanse of deck isn't all that exciting. Often, decks look bare and uninviting and can take up valuable gardening space. With DECKSCAPING, learn to landscape on and around your deck. Landscaping and planting techniques help create the feeling that the deck is surrounded by the garden while hiding the deck's unsightly undercarriage. Add structure and privacy to the deck by building a lattice-covered pergola and growing climbing vines on it for shade. Containers planted with flowers, herbs, or vegetables bring the garden, with its fragrances, butterflies, birds, and wildlife, right up onto the deck. Running low on space? Attach hanging baskets and planter boxes to the railing. What you plant around your deck is just as important as what you plant around your house. In addition to teaching landscaping and planting techniques, DECKSCAPING provides decorating tips on furniture, ornaments, and water features that strengthen the link between indoor and outdoor rooms. Homeowners will also learn how to evaluate a deck, analyze its usefulness and effectiveness, and identify options to improve it so that it is comfortable, safe, and appealing.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1678303 in Books
• Published on: 2001-12-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 176 pages

From Booklist
The Great American Deck, that no-man's land between house and garden, is often a barren vista or neglected way station on the path to the backyard, but with Ellis' expert guidance, even the most lowly deck can be elevated into a lush garden room worthy of its inside partners. Using basic interior design principles, Ellis embarks on an exterior "deck-oration" process that begins by critically assessing views and recommending ways to adapt interior schemes for exterior enjoyment. Through Ellis' creative pointers, homeowners can easily develop a tempting transition from the backdoor to the backyard that will reflect their lifestyles and personalities. Inspirational color photographs and detailed project checklists help develop design needs; and to further enhance deck landscaping possibilities, Ellis thoughtfully recommends plants that attract hummingbirds and butterflies, incorporate fragrance, provide screening, or furnish kitchen herbs. From choosing containers to selecting furniture, every aspect of deck design and usage is thoroughly addressed, making this an excellent resource for new deck construction or old deck revitalization projects. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Inside Flap
Let climbing roses wander up a trellis or train old-fashioned wisteria on an arbor, enclosing your deck with color and shad and filling it with fragrance on summer evenings. Surround your deck with spring flowers and fall berries, as well as annuals and perennials that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Plant ornamental edibles and herbs in containers or in a deckside bed for summertime meals. With flowers, vines, arbors, trellises, comfortable furnishings, well-placed lighting, and great decorating ideas, you can transform your deck into an inviting place to linger all year long.

From the Back Cover
Transform your deck into the ideal outdoor living space When surrounded by shrubs and small trees, perennials and annuals, ornamental grasses and vines, your deck becomes an appealing link between your home and yard. In this book, you'll find everything you need to know to create your dream deck environment. Barbara Ellis offers dozens of creative ideas and fail-proof techniques.Long-blooming flowers, fruit-bearing shrubs, and gracefully drifting grasses offer fragrance and color while attracting visits from butterflies and hummingbirds.Plant-packed containers grouped on a deck convey a special feeling of abundance, and they instantly create a gardenlike feel.Flowering vines trained over a sturdy arbor create an island of welcome shade. Flowers and foliage spilling over railings and covering a trellised wall or arbor provide a sense of privacy.Count on Barbara Ellis to pick up on just what the American deck needs. Deckscaping shows us how to turn our own bland (or cluttered!) space into a delightful, usable room that seamlessly joins our indoor dTcor with our garden landscape. With so many good ideas, I can't wait to get started! (Frances Tenenbaum, Editor, Taylor's Guide to Gardening) Barbara Ellis offers a whole new approach to making this outdoor living space one of the most attractive areas of the home landscape. (Lewis and Nancy Hill, authors of The Lawn and Garden Owner's Manual, Daylilies, Pruning Made Easy, and Secrets of Plant Propagation)