When looking at the advantages and disadvantages of plants on your deck consider starting with the disadvantages. This is because depending on your lifestyle, you may find that having plants on your deck is not for you – even taking into account all the many advantages that there are.

Disadvantages of Plants on Your Deck

The main disadvantage of plants on your deck is that unless you take care of your plants they can damage your deck.

You can damage your deck if your plants do not have sufficient air space between the drip tray and the decking boards, and this is assuming that you use a drip tray!

If you overwater your plants or don’t use a drip tray your decking boards will at best become stained and at worse become rotten and require replacing. Watering plants on a deck is an art to ensure the plants obtain enough water, but that your deck does not get watered as well!

Plants on a deck need to be cared for even more than plants in your garden. Because they are in pots, your deck plants will need more frequent watering. They will also need fertilizing and re-potting as they grow.

Plants on a deck that are not cared for can take away the attractiveness of your deck. Neglected plants do not look good and your deck will be better off without them.

In summary, the disadvantages of plants on your deck involves the additional work that you will need to do as well as the risk that you will damage or mark your deck, thus instead of creating a more pleansant outdoor area actually doing the opposite.

Advantages of Plants on Your Deck

Whilst there are only a few disadvantages of having plants on your deck, they are reasonably major. In saying that there are plenty of advantages to having plants on your deck such as creating that certain look and connecting the outdoors to the indoors but overall  the advantages whilst numerous, may not be particularly impactful if your deck is already located in an attractive garden.

The first advantage that comes to mind for including plants on your deck is for privacy reasons. If you deck is overlooked then having a living green screen is one solution to this problem. Some of the best plants for such a use include bamboo, tiger grass and lilly pillys.

Another advantage this is obvious is that well looked after plants make a deck even more attractive and provide a greater level of pleasure in the use of your deck.

Plants on a deck can be used to create a particular design or atmosphere. Using formal tropiary plants in a uniform design in large pots can generate a more formal feel to your deck which can be further supported by a more formal choice of deck furniture and blinds.Other plants can make a deck have a more modern structural feel using agaves and yuccas.For a more whimsical deck, vines and creepers, geraniums and ground covers overflowing in pots are the way to go.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Plants on Your Deck

In conclusion, due to the potential disadvantages of hanging plants off your deck, if your deck is already located in a pretty garden or with elevated private views, then really it is not necessary to have plants on your deck.

On the other hand plants on your deck are a very good way to obtain privacy and style on decks.  Of course, if you have a green thumb,  there may be potential health benefits associated with tending to plants. Just be sure to care for your deck along the way.