Composite wrap around deck landing directly on the lawn. Any ideas to transition better? As it stands it looks a little off to me and there's the issue of the mower not being able to get right up to the stairs thus needing to the edge trimmed.
Was thinking to pave around the bottom but that seems just as boring and would only solve the mowing issue.
Thanks!
by dollar_reef
2 Comments
Flagstones would be beautiful there. Maybe a couple shrubs on each side?
You are right that paving the whole bottom is boring but letting grass choke the bottom step is a maintenance nightmare. You need a sweeping curved planting bed wrapping around the base of those stairs to ground the structure and solve your mowing problem. Dig out a sweeping curve extending a few feet out from the bottom step. Lay a single row of brick or flat stone completely flush with the soil exactly where the lawn meets this new bed. Your mower wheel rides on that flat stone edge giving you a perfect cut every time without ever picking up a string trimmer.
Between that flat stone edge and your stairs you bring in the soft engineering. Fill the space right up against the bottom step with river rock or cedar mulch to keep moisture away from your stair framing. Then plant a continuous sweeping mass of low native shrubs or ornamental grasses in that bed. Do not space them out like little lonely soldiers the way the plants on your back retaining wall are done. You want them planted tight enough that they mature into one solid flowing texture to soften the harsh geometry of the stairs.
Getting the depth of that curve and the plant heights right takes a good eye. Take a picture of your deck and run it through the GardenDream web app before you put a shovel in the dirt. It is a visualization tool that lets you test out different bed layouts and plant masses right over your photo. It serves as a reliable blueprint tool so you do not waste money and sweat building a border that ends up looking out of scale with your yard.