I was looking at my deck today and decided, I need to “up my game”. My deck is beautiful in my eyes, it has been expertly cleaned and protected by Wood Renew & More (my company), however, it is just blah. So, I did not research on my go to site, Pinterest. I know what I need to do to make my deck look and feel like an extension of my home. Here’s my plan: I need to add mood lighting and lively plants.
I can’t wait to get my hands dirty and plant some beautiful flowers in vibrant planters. There’s some great sources for planters both online and locally. I recommend Plow & Hearth, Pottery Barn, Tuesday Morning, Frontgate, Horchow, Target and Crate and Barrel. I especially like the self watering types but I am also looking at installing a drip irrigation system (it’s as simple as plugging in a hose with a timer). This will keep my plants healthy and growing throughout even the hottest summer months.
As for the flowers and plants I recommend drought tolerant perennials to get the biggest bang for your buck. In the past, I ordered tons of flowers on-line through Spring Hill. Their pricing can’t be beat and the packaging is done with lots of care. I didn’t have a single loss but if I would have, they have a guarantee. They also offer complete garden layouts and kits if you’re unsure what looks good together.
As for the mood lighting, I would love to string up Edison bulbs and lanterns but my deck does have any posts, trellis or pergola. So I plan on using some up-lighting, rope lights and tabletop lanterns. The up-lights will be placed around my planters with some lights being in the planters. The rope lighting can be installed anywhere, I’m going to install it under the handrails to add more indirect lighting. As for the tabletops, I’ll put out some candles, some lanterns of various sizes and a lamp or two. I saw this great idea for a lamp by using an inexpensive solar light that is place through the lamp shade hoop in place of a light bulb. What a fabulous idea!
With these simple additions, I’m sure I will feel wonderful on my deck and my guests will want to come back.
I’ll be posting some photos soon so check back!
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