I thought today would be a good day to share my new deck and pergola. The old deck was rotting away. The railings were termite ridden. The whole thing was an eyesore. This deck is right off my living room and it's main purpose is to be able to open the sliding glass door for ventilation. It's usually either too blazing hot or too windy to sit out on the deck. Besides, if I'm going outside, I usually go to the backyard.
I decided to go with Trek decking. It's something that will last and won't rot, need refinishing or feed the termites. I also replaced the railing with vinyl and had a vinyl patio cover made for shade. I love the look of the pergola! I also love the shade overhead. It's unbelievable how hot that deck used to get and also the living room. The patio cover is helping so much! The other I decision I made, was to make the deck narrower. What this did was open up a long section of garden below about 3 feet wide. I've been working to fill this with plantings. It really has changed in the past 4 months or so since the deck was completed.
Even these pictures are about 6 weeks old and it's amazing how much has already changed. The morning glory is spreading across the lattice covered front. I read somewhere that you should plant your garden to look good in about 3 years. We'll see how it goes!
Moving the deck back not only added some garden space, but gave me this cozy little spot for my trash to treasure, orange painted chair. It feels like a whole new mini retreat, right next to the new flowers and plants and I've since added an umbrella to this spot.
Some of the plants I added are: rosemary, lavender, a sweet pink camellia, dwarf orange tree, abutilon, a tiny flowered fuschia, sweet pea bush and mandevilla. I started with pretty small plants. I've never had luck with abutilon so I only used a teeny one. If it grows, it will have beautiful coral colored flowers. It's also known as 'chinese lantern'.
I hope you enjoyed seeing my new project and how the garden is coming along. I'll be in the pool all summer!
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| My nephew and grand- niece enjoying the pool! |
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| Grand- nephew learning to dive! |
Have yourselves a refreshing summer day!
Cindy
I love your trash to treasure orange chair and the new little retreat.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks lovely and now you have gotten over the hurdle of the blogger's block and are back on track.
What's that giant succulent? It's gorgeous!!!
ReplyDelete-andi
Now I can see what you've been trying to describe to me. The yard looks fantastic and the decking is so inviting! Awesome. Get a room ready for me, I wanna come visit!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great looking deck, Cindy! Considering the troubles you had with the old one, choosing materials that won't rot and require little to no maintenance was a smart move. And I hope you're spending more time on that deck now that it's all pretty. :) -Jenell @ Tristate
ReplyDeleteGoing with the narrower deck to put in plants is a great idea! Not only will it enhance the look of that particular area when the plants have fully grown, but it will also ensure fresh air blowing in from that direction. And with the cover up, you can enjoy sitting in there even if it’s still a bit early in the afternoon.
ReplyDeleteLynn @ DAL Builders Inc