Deckscaping
 Barbara W. Ellis
 (Reviewed by The Editor - Rebecca Brown)
 2000 Storey Books, North Adams MA
  ISBN: 1580174086


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.

Are you planning on building a deck onto your home?

Have you just bought a home with a deck?

Do you want to transform your deck from a storage wasteland into a welcoming extra room?

Want your deck to be a haven for your relaxation, wildlife & plants?

Then pick up a copy of Barnara Ellis' Deckscaping, because this book can help you turn your dreams into reality.

In the space of just six chapters, Deckscaping will take you through what you need to consider, purchase & provide in turning a barren space into an Eden.

In her Introduction, Barbara Ellis tells us why her husband and she decided to add a deck to their old Pennsylvania farmhouse. “The deck wraps around the south and west sides of the house and is accessible from the living room and the kitchen...[it] beckons us outdoors at all times of day and night -- in all types of weather -- to watch wildlife, marvel at gathering storm clouds, study the stars, sit and relax, or just wander out to enjoy the garden.“ In her Reality Check she reminds us to look at what we really can do, given our location.

When Customizing Your Design, look out at the views beyond your windows as well as the walls off of which you will be constructing your deck. In Creating Privacy & Shade, especially if you want a hot tub & you are surrounded by other homes, or you have hot direct sunshine & a few fine old trees. Take into account Traffic & Usage Considerations -- who is going to use the deck? Create A Working Drawing, especially if sun shine & tree shade are factors.

Chapter 2 shows us The Surrounding Gardens. Here are instructions on Getting Started with Garden Design, so we'll have something to look at while we lounge on our decks -- large or small. Then we learn about Enduring Perennials, & about Plantings in Shady Spots. The various gardens discussed are: Themed, Kitchen, Hummingbird, Butterfly, Fragrance, & Evening ones.

Chapter 3 is all about Container Gardening: big & little, wooden, clay, or recycled. How to maintain an even watering is shown. Pruning & planting as well. Designing Container Combinations, & sculpting in green!

A deck without a trellis or an arbor, is like a bicycle without mudguards. So Chapter 4 meanders through the construction of arches & roofs, & the planting of climbing vines & shrubs. With a section on furniture too. Barbara Ellis doesn't forget winter, & there's a lovely view of a holiday decorated deck.

Chapter 5 describes the all-time Favorite Deckside Plants. Annuals and Tender Perennials like Joseph's Coat & Flowering Maples; Angel's trumpets and Swiss chard; Dusty millers & Heliotrope. Perennila, Biennials & Bulbs include Yarrow & Tickseeds; Columbines & Pinks; Daylilies & Rudbeckias. Shrubs & Small Trees to consider are the Dogwoods & the Sweetshrub; Cotoneaters & the Fothergillas; Hollies, Crabapples & Mock Oranges. Don't forget the Viburnums!

There is a superb Index that includes cross-references to such arcane subjects from Adam's needless to bamboos; from contractors to designing principles; from hardy vines to insects; from lanterns to mold; from paths to shade plants; from thornless climbing roses to zone maps. The only thing that's missing, & it might just be my old eyes didn't catch it, what about all the compostable debris? How do you get it off your deck if you're several feet above the ground? Do you cart it through your house, or do you dump it over the balustrade into a waiting bin?

Deckscaping is an orderly delirium that will delight your eyes, & give you some great ideas for your deck & its garden.

Barbara W. Ellis is a freelance writer, an editr, & a lifelong gardener. The author of several books in the Taylor's Guide series, she has also been a Managing Editor at Rodale Press, as well as Publications Director for the American Horticultural Society. She lives with her husband & an assortment of dogs, in a 200-year-old stone farmhouse, surrounded by a large, organic, wildlife-friendly garden.
(04/14/02)

Rebecca