Backyard Challenge

What to do with a big plain fenced back yard with a standard contractor built deck??

The deck is a basic 12’ x 12’ layout which sits as high as our fence line, and has minimal amount of slats for the fencing leaving it looking very open. Our first idea was to make it a little more private and make an inviting sitting area. We put a lighter colored panel over the slatted part of the deck siding. The biggest thing we noticed right away was how much less wind we felt sitting out there. The lighter color in the panel has kept the deck from looking too dark, or getting too hot.

To entice our family to spend the evenings on the deck we needed everyone to be comfortable during those cool Alberta evenings. We bought a portable firepit which runs off a small propane tank. It sits in the middle of the deck with the tank hidden behind the BBQ. As added protection, we placed 4 rubber decking or lawn tiles under it. Now, we have a nice warm, private area, which acts as an extension of our dining room.
Still there was something missing in our opinion. Our next weekend project was to add some greenery. Dentooms greenhouse was the place to find us most of the weekend, wandering around the garden section looking for what style planters or décor we would like to see added to our space. We made sure the greenhouse staff understood that we are NEW to this and that we needed all the help we could get. These people working at Dentooms love their jobs and it shows! Once we handed ourselves over to them it opened up a whole new world for us. From there we were able to pick what planters we wanted and needed for the job.

We added the planters to the outside edge of our deck to keep the livable space the same but still get the greenery we wanted. One week later, we are as happy with the look of the space as we are with how well our new plants are doing. We are proud return customers of Dentooms. Adding a little more to our planters we now are growing some flowers and some vegetables. One lesson learned is to add different heights of plants. We now have “Thrillers”, taller focus flowers, surrounded by “Fillers”. Finally, we have “Spillers” the smaller creeper type plants that fall down the sides of the planters.

Two weeks since we’ve had our deck revamped and we have seen more of the kids than I dreamed possible. At this point we are really happy but not finished. We did add a little solar light to each planter and the evening glow has a very comforting look. We have loved this experience but it will be put aside for the time being as we branch out into the yard.

Sitting in the sun on the deck are two pots of our spur of the moment purchased Raspberry stems. Where do they fit into the development? Some paving stones to pick up and they are in the yard.

For more information on our new favourite greenhouse check out:

Dentooms Greenhouse

-Sue Sage