15+ Inspiring Floating Deck Landscaping Ideas

Last Updated on March 20, 2024

A few summer ago we built a floating deck in our backyard. And I’m SO glad we did! It has created a much-utilized space for the family – a perfect place to relax, grill, and enjoy summer evenings. But our floating deck could use some character. A bit of pizzazz. So I took to the Internet, and found some amazing floating deck landscaping ideas.

Inspiring ideas I’m sharing with you today.

15+ floating deck landscaping ideas to elevate your deck's charm

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Backstory

Building our floating deck was one of our favorite DIY projects. It transformed a sickly, hideous area where weeds barely grew into a backyard retreat for entertain and relaxing with family and friends.

man securing deck boards to a floating or low deck — How We Built a Low Deck for $300

Floating Deck Landscaping Ideas

Now it’s time to add some charm to our low profile, or floating deck. Nothing too crazy. Perhaps some pavers and greenery to accent the deck and hide the concrete blocks. Just a little something to elevate its character (pun intended. elevate a deck – get it? ? Sorry I couldn’t resist!)

I found so many amazing ways other homeowners landscaped and improved their floating decks to meet their needs and style.

Looking for landscaping inspiration for your floating deck? Then look no further.

The ideas below vary in both budget, time and skill. From simple 5-minutes solutions to weekend warrior challenges. And encompass both hardscapes (i.e. pavers and stones) and softscape (i.e. plants and mulch) ideas.

Floating deck landscaping ideas - learn how to create a welcoming and comfortable space for your backyard deck with these homeowners' projects. #decklandscaping #floatingdeck

1. Privacy Fence with Floating Deck

Lindi and Russel at Love Create Celebrate have an amazing tutorial for a floating deck landscaping idea including a privacy wall. Their instructions are extremely detailed and thorough.

Our current backyard is completely fenced in (part by our neighbors, part by our No Dig Fence), so a privacy fence isn’t necessary. BUT if I did need one, I’d dig into this tutorial further.

Love Create Celebrate backyard floating deck landscaping ideas. Courtesy of https://lovecreatecelebrate.com/diy-floating-deck-and-privacy-wall/ — Courtesy of Love Create Celebrate

Per the couple, “it was the perfect outdoor oasis for our family! The privacy fence hides everything we didn’t want seen (*ahem*… the neighbors yard), and gives us the privacy we wanted to be able to hang out comfortably on the deck.”

Note that the tutorial plans call for the privacy wall to be built simultaneously with the floating deck, so this one might be difficult if you have already built your deck.

Chevron Privacy Fence

Ashley at Handmade Haven, in conjunction with Home Depot attached a DIY chevron privacy wall to her floating deck. Here’s the privacy fence and deck in progress.

Handmade Haven with Ashley Bagnight with Home Depot floating deck landscaping ideas Courtesy of https://handmade-haven.com/blogs/news/diy-backyard-floating-deck — Courtesy of Handmade Haven

Once complete, she went for a Bohemian/Morrocon feel with a neutral color deck and slate gray privacy wall (plus pops of color with the outdoor pillows)

Admittedly this floating deck landscaping idea seems fairly involved and costly (Ashley indicates the project was $3,000) so if you are looking for a simpler, smaller chevron wall check out the tutorial at DIY Passion.

Pre-made Lattice Privacy Fence

Or even this YouTube tutorial by The Fixer that installed pre-made lattice as privacy fence around his floating deck.

The Fixer floating deck landscaping ideas. Courtesy of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5DBYnrsF2s — Courtesy of The Fixer

And a privacy fence doesn’t have to be right up against the floating deck, as Eugene from Plasticine House shows with his deck landscaping ideas with photos curated from Houzz.

Photo by Land Studio C – Browse deck photos

HGTV also has a privacy fence, but I can’t seem to find a tutorial or close-ups of it. I’m very intrigued by the light fixture extending at the top over the dining table.

HGTV floating deck landscaping ideas. Courtesy of https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/outdoor-remodel/floating-decks — Courtesy of HGTV

2. Whimsy Decor

I loved this next one. While technically it uses a fence, I thought it was more creative and whimsy than creating privacy.

Leo and Jane at Cottage at the Crossroads used a simple approach to landscaping a floating deck with 2 sections of pre-made picket fence from Lowes. According to Jane, it was quick and easy. “Just two 4″ x 4″ posts set in the ground 2 feet on each end and I used 2″ screws to attach them to the posts”.

Cottage at the Crossroads floating deck landscaping ideas Courtesy of https://cottageatthecrossroads.com/freestanding-deck-in-our-garden/ — Courtesy of Cottage at the Crossroads

3. Hardscaping with “Steps”

Note that I placed parentheses around “steps”. Since most DIY floating decks rest on low concrete blocks, traditional steps are usually not necessary. The ideas below focus on hardscapes like pavers and stepping stones to frame your floating deck and create a welcoming approach.

Aniko at Place of My Taste appears to have used slabs of wood left over from the deck project to create pavers in the gravel to create steps. And I love this floating deck landscaping idea but might have to wait until my kids ae slightly older. I can already picture my 3 young kids picking up these pieces of wood and rearranging them.

Place of My Taste floating deck landscaping ideas. Courtesy of https://placeofmytaste.com/diy-outdoor-kitchen/ — Courtesy of Place of My Taste

Alexander Lumber, based in the Illinois area, used a mosaic of pavers leading up the floating deck on their website. I love the idea of strategically using hardscaping to not only create a polished look, but also be a low maintenance solution to cutting grass.

Alexander Lumber deck landscaping ideas Courtesy of https://alexlbr.com/redesign-your-outdoor-space-with-a-floating-deck/ — Courtesy of Alexander Lumber

Alexi at Seeking Alexi paired up with Home Depot and added a more structured pewter square concrete stepping stones around her floating deck.

Seeking Alexi Floating deck landscaping ideas Courtesy of http://seekingalexi.com/ — Courtesy of Seeking Alexi

She goes into further detail into how exactly she achieved this landscaping with these following steps:

Level ground with a metal rake
Lay down pavers
Using a measuring tape, lay down the pavers spaced about 4” apart. (if a larger space, consider a paper template).
Shovel pebbles, small stones or cement gravel in between pavers

Pretty easy, eh? Plus, a very economical upgrade considering these pavers are only around $2 a pop! She added a variety of other features – including an umbrella and string of electrical lights connected to her fence and house.

4. Pergola or Gazebo

Jen Woodhouse, carpenter and DIY-extraordinaire, has a DIY tutorial on how to build a floating deck as well as a pergola that is simply gorgeous. I love the lights strung throughout the pergola. Allows for a great place to entertain or relax at night.

Jen Woodhouse floating deck landscaping ideas. Courtesy of https://jenwoodhouse.com/how-to-build-a-floating-deck/ — Courtesy of Jen Woodhouse

For extra pizazz, Everything Backyard’s website has this beautiful gazebo with floor-length curtains. A perfect solution to draw those curtains from a scorching afternoon sun. Or maybe hide and nap from your kids ?

Everything backyard floating deck landscaping ideas. Courtesy of https://everythingbackyard.net/tips-to-help-you-build-a-floating-deck/ — Courtesy of Everything Backyard

If building a gazebo seems a bit involved but you but you love the idea of lights strung over your floating deck, check out Sarah at Ugly Duckling House’s tutorial on her DIY light pole planters. It gives the double-whammy of planters for colorful flowers plus a place to string up lights for nighttime parties.

Side note: Sarah’s video series on How to Build a Floating Deck is amazing! Highly recommend if you haven’t started building your deck yet.

Ugly Duckling House floating deck landscaping ideas. Courtesy of https://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/outdoor-light-pole-planters-plans/ — Courtesy of Ugly Duckling House

5. Softscape (aka Plants)

Trees, shrubs, flowers and other plants situated both on and around your floating deck can effectively elevate character and create a welcoming look on a floating deck.

Melissa at Daisy Mae Belle (daisymaebelle.com) applied a simple and quick solution of tiered pots to add some elevation and greenery to her floating deck.

Daisy Mae Belle floating deck landscaping ideas Courtesy of http://daisymaebelle.com/railroad-tie-and-concrete-block-deck/ — Courtesy of Daisy Mae Belle

Family Handyman decorated their floating deck with a hodgepodge of planters filled with colorful flowers. Can’t you just see yourself on this deck curled up nice and cozy in an outdoor egg chair while enjoying a good book?

Family Handyman floating deck landscaping ideas. Courtesy of https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/backyard-decks-build-an-island-deck/ — Courtesy of Family Handyman

If looking to add plants around your floating deck (versus on top of in pots), Heather Evans at Nimvo has two pretty options. The first one has a bit of an English garden feel to it (in my opinion). I wish the photo captured the landscaping a bit further out so we could see more.

Nimvo deck landscaping ideas Courtesy of https://nimvo.com/20-gorgeous-floating-deck-designs/ — Courtesy of Nimvo

The second option shows a more structured planting of (what looks like) perennials. I wonder if these plants will grow and fill in a bit more in future to give more privacy.

If you can’t find planters that suite your style or budget (I’m amazing at how much large planters cost!), Sarah at Ugly Ducking House gets into detail about how she planned the landscaping around her floating deck, including her DIY planters. And as a side note – he series on how she built and landscaped her Floating Deck is amazing.

6. A Mixture of Everything

These last two floating deck landscaping ideas incorporate so many different hardscape and softscape features. And they make me jealous with envy.

The Spruce has a sculpted a beautiful floating deck landscaping idea with several different landscaping features (pavers, mulch, plants – even a large landscaping rock!) placed around and approaching their floating deck. And I love the inground solar lights. I bet this expanded landscaping gives this deck a larger feel!

The Spruce Floating deck landscaping ideas Courtesy of https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-build-floating-decks-2132000 — Courtesy of The Spruce

Like The Spruce, Family Handyman achieved a tri-fecta of boosting a floating deck to new levels. They used large pavers for steps, a privacy fence, potted plants PLUS a fire feature (wait, that’s 4 things. Does that make it a quad-fecta? Hmmmmm….)

Family Handyman floating deck landscaping ideas. Courtesy of https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/how-to-build-a-platform-deck/ — Courtesy of Family Handyman

Note that Family Handyman is a “Platform deck” and has slightly different tutorial. But I fell in love with the landscaping that I had to include.

That’s it! What do you think? Have you landscaped your floating deck? If so, I’d love to hear from you!

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