Above Ground Hot Tub Landscaping Ideas

I am so excited to announce that we got a new hot tub at our home a few weeks ago! And ever since we got it, we have been working on some above ground hot tub landscaping ideas for it too. We decided to build a simple outdoor deck to place it on for starters.

Then, we started the landscape design after. Having this hot tub has truly turned our outdoor space into a backyard oasis! Technically, it is on the side of our house and we haven’t really had much use for this side of the house until now.

​Installing the hot tub has been a great way to utilize and enjoy the space! We have literally been in it almost every night now. And let me tell you, I sleep just like a baby after! I absolutely love it! So if you have an above ground hot tub too and want some landscape and decorating ideas for it, you have came to the right space! 

This post also contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission off anything you purchase through here, at no additional cost to you. Please read my full disclosure policy for more details.

Picking Out The Hot Tub

So the first step obviously is to pick out what hot tub you want, or take a good look at the one you have. Consider its shape and size and where you want to put it in your own backyard.

Technically, our hot tub isn’t a brand new one. It was my in-laws first, and they decided they didn’t use it as much as they intended to. So they gave it to us instead, and boy, have we already put it to good use!

We got in it the very first night it was installed, even though it was only lukewarm water since it hadn’t heated up all the way yet! The model of our hot tub is the Tropical Seas Spa Kona 751B Elite for reference.

And it totally worked out perfectly because the color of it matches our hot tub deck stain color amazingly well! But really, the main thing is to just get the hot tub first and go from there.

No matter what hot tub you choose, you can make the area look amazing with some lush landscaping! In a perfect world, I would love to have a swimming pool in the backyard with a built-in hot tub.

But since we don’t have an in-ground pool, this hot tub experience works just fine for me! And hey, we are just keeping with the above-ground pool theme here seeing as how my Stock Tank Pool is also a huge DIY outdoor favorite of mine! 

Building The Hot Tub Deck 

So after we knew we were getting the hot tub for sure, we decided to build a custom deck for it as well. Location is key here because we wanted us to have easy access to the hot tub and not have to walk a long way to get to it.

Like I said above, we decided to build the deck on the side of our house, which is just coming off of our back patio area. My husband got large paver stones and gravel to create a natural stone walkway to the hot tub deck.

Eventually, we will also build stairs leading up to the deck because it is a bit steep to get up there from the walkway. But for now, it works just fine. We were just so excited to utilize the space that the stairs will just have to wait!

I love the natural elements to the walkway that he created though. He filled in the spaces between the large paver stones with the smaller, pea sized gravel.

Then, created a border with some more landscaping rocks too. Very similar to what we did for our DIY Fire Pit Area.

Also, once the deck was built, we stained the wood using the same mahogany color as our back patio and porches to match. We also put in some solar LED outdoor path lights around the walkway too. That way, if we go out at night to enjoy the hot tub, the path is illuminated and we can see clearly. 

If you don’t want to build a deck, you could also consider placing the hot tub on a concrete slab instead. That would be perfect if you have a small backyard since it wouldn’t take up too much space.

You could also look between the concrete pad and pool deck to see what the best option would be as far as cost and the space of your backyard goes.

Another affordable way to have a hot tub experience too is to order an inflatable hot tub! I have personally never used one before. But, I have seen them on Amazon so if you’re looking for a budget friendly hot tub, that could be an option too! 

Landscaping Ideas

Now that the deck and the hot tub were in place, the fun begins! My husband loves to landscape and I think he did an amazing job of creating this outdoor living space for us!

In the corner of the deck he bought a trio of trees that will grow up taller to give us a natural privacy screen once they have grown. Also, our hot tub cover rests on a bar when it’s opened that essentially gives us some privacy walls too.

And this faces the road above which is perfect, that way cars can’t really see us in the hot tub. So between the trees and the cover, we do have a lot of privacy here. Even though it is an open deck.

He also planted some pretty foliage to give the deck a beautiful focal point and some color. After planting everything, we mulched around all the plants and trees too to give it a finished and polished look.

Using ornamental grasses are also great budget-friendly landscaping ideas as well. Basically, any good landscaping around a hot tub area will create natural barriers to ensure you have a nice and private space to enjoy!

And getting various plants of different heights creates visual interest and makes for a great view. The small details when landscaping really matter, because they come together to create a stunning space when finished! 

If you have enough room near your hot tub, you could also create flower beds. Or even a whole garden area of flowers to enjoy while soaking. Talk about the best views!

I didn’t have enough room for flower gardens per se, but I did get a few cute pots. And I planted in some pretty pansies and tulips to enjoy instead.

Now keep in mind, it’s still early spring here and we do tend to get frosts overnight. So I am not going too crazy with the plants and flowers just yet! I don’t want them to die on me. 

Other Hot Tub Ideas

In addition to all the landscaping and deck building, I of course had to decorate and style this space with my own touches too. And that includes getting this beautiful outdoor bistro set!

I love the color to it and I think it looks perfect on our deck! We originally thought about getting a full sized outdoor patio table. But, once we put the hot tub out there, we realized we didn’t have room for this. So this piece is a perfect compromise and a great addition to the space!

Some more patio furniture that I ordered are these amazing pool lounge chairs from Amazon. Again, they are the perfect color and match the deck wonderfully! I also got some throw pillows to accompany the bistro set and the pool lounge chairs too.

And because we do get a lot of wind here, we decided to get an outdoor pool storage box too. That way, we could store all the pillows in there when we weren’t using them.

Other hot tub design ideas would be adding in some string lights. Or some kind of outdoor lighting around the area. You could also add in a fun outdoor rug to the space as well. 

Enjoy Your Hot Tub Landscaping 

Whether you are soaking in the winter months, or even on a hot summer day, this hot tub deck is the perfect addition to your outdoor oasis space. I can’t even tell you how many times we have already used it. And I continue to plan on doing so!

There is something so relaxing about being able to have a nice long soak after a hard days work! It definitely has been a solid investment and I don’t regret it in the least bit! This entire project was so fun to watch come to life! And I am so proud of how it turned out!

So if you’re wondering whether or not adding a hot tub to your outdoor space is a good idea, I am here to tell you that it is! I also hope this post gave you some amazing above ground hot tub landscape ideas.

And, if you have a hot tub too let me know what some of your favorite landscaping ideas are for it below! If you want more landscaping ideas, be sure to check out our stock tank pool landscaping as well!