Deck gardens are the perfect way to connect your deck to the landscape.

Exactly what is the purpose of your deck? Most people would say they know what a deck is. But, ask them to describe one and the basic comeback is a wooden platform attached to the back of a house. Look at most of the new homes being built and you come away with the impression homebuilders would agree with that description.

Fortunately there are a lot of people who see the potential of decks. Instead of simply being a flat surface for deck chairs and a barbecue, they look for creative ways to transform this fantastic open-air opportunity into something special. And what better way to do that than by making your garden part of the deck. Deck gardens are a wonderful way to make your home feel like it is part of the garden. Linking one to the other. Or, in the case of the example shown here, a way to bring a slice of paradise into the city.

Creating a great container garden is not for the timid.

A few flowerpots plopped in the corner of a deck do not a deck garden make. But designing your deck with plant containers in mind, or using dramatic Tropical Hardwood decking to create a forest floor in an existing space, and you have the beginnings of a beautiful relationship.

If you want a deck garden to look like a garden it needs to be big enough to feel as though you can loose yourself in it. To achieve this you have to be bold. Use large containers grouped in layers with plantings that incorporate height, texture and color. All the elements you would work with in an actual garden. In this roof garden, a single large container is used as sculptural accent to the surrounding boarder planting. It not only creates variation in height, it adds another layer of texture and color–a perfect compliment to the rich tropical Merbau decking, which provides a solid footing for your own urban jungle.