Deckscaping: Gardening and Landscaping on and Around Your Deck

I love to garden but I don't have a huge budget so I was delighted to discover this book, which covers topics I hadn't seen in similar books. Among other things, it includes: Full color photos of all sorts of deck gardens, from evening gardens to container gardens, trellis gardens and more Detailed tips on how to camouflage ugly (but usually inexpensive) containers, allowing readers to spend more on plants and less on containers. She provides instructions for numerous and easy "cover-ups" for those awful plastic pots. I love this! Tips on planning deckside flower beds, choosing furniture and buying or making trellises and other supports are invaluable. This author knows her stuff and even includes plans for all sorts of items (I love the very easy copper trellis she includes) She lists the plants by their common and horticultural names and includes photos of nearly every plant - in color. Plans for the deck gardens are incorporated into the larger landscape theme (assuming you have one) so that your deck fits into your total garden design scheme, a very nice touch. If you aren't a natural decorator, her chapter on "Decorating with Style" will save you time and frustration. Her examples are never tacky, always tasteful and accomplished with a minimum of time, effort and fuss. Again, something to love! Finally, this book allows readers to simplify their deck gardening time, which means there should be more time to savor the results of your efforts. Who wouldn't love that?

There is so much room for change in a deck garden that an idea book is great to keep around. This is my favorite one. It's packed with ideas you may never have considered, like including ornamental grasses for their flowing texture, growing pretty peppers in pots, or fine-tuning your plant choices to attract butterflies. Practical matters like choosing furniture or using awnings is covered as well. If you have a deck or patio and you like to garden, you need this book.

Gardening and Landscaping On and Around Your Deck. How to surround your deck with spring flowers & fall berries, & fill it with flowers that will attract birds & butterflies, as well as create an edible landscape for yourself.Time to turn your deck into a place worth living in? Want to add a little Eden into your life?Barbara Ellis has the book for you!With gorgeous photographs & elegant drawings; lists of flowers that will attract wildlife; comparisons of different kinds of containers & trellises, & simple instructions on how to do almost anything with plants, DECKSCAPING is a must for anyone wanting to change that drab outdoor area into a welcoming haven for yourself & your wild life!

This book is an excellent addition to my collection of gardening books. The author did a great job of outlining projects and listing the plants used in the projects. The pictures are a great guide to anyone desiring to either duplicate her projects or simply get ideas. Since I work fulltime and have only the weekend to indulge my love of gardening, I look for ideas in books and gardening magazines--this book is a great source. With the current focus on extending our living space to the outdors, I like to maximize what little spare time I have by utilizing the results of someone else's vision and labor. I hope they don't mind.

This book thoroughly intriqued me because often when we think of decks, we think of some elaborate, expensive project. In this case building a deck can mean little more than building a simple platform and from there, expanding on your idea to whatever extent one chooses. How far one goes with design will likely depend to a certain degree on space, lifestyle and financial resources. There are some great ideas here for furniture, planters, etc. and the photography is quite appealing. Wondering what to plant around your deck and where? This book offers some really great suggestions. Now, if I could just find my existing deck under all this snow....