A careful choice of plants can make an area seem interesting without being crowded.
All small gardens have the potential to become a crowded, unattractive closet – or a relaxing, gorgeous haven. The difference between the two is planning and design – and knowing all the tricks to get the most out of your space. As with any garden area, you first need to ask yourself: what do I want from this space? Follow the original tips in our garden design guide.
Create a focus
Many small gardens make the mistake of having too many focal points, splitting the gaze of the viewer and making the space feel crowded and smaller than it actually is. By choosing just one interesting feature – be it a special plant or garden ornament – and leaving plenty of space (but not emptiness) around it, you can create the illusion of space.
Ensure maximum flow
To make a small garden feel as large as possible, try to ensure that there's a maximum, uninterrupted 'flow' between your inside and outside areas. A good way to achieve this is with the use of French or bi-fold doors, which create a wide, uninterrupted opening. In addition to creating a sense of a continuation of living spaces, this also helps to extend design features between the two areas.
Another way you can improve this 'flow' is by using the same flooring (or just the same colour of flooring between floorboards, tiles or pavers) inside and out. This will help to make the transition feel like a larger, continuous area.
Consider the climate
When you have a small garden it’s easy to think of it as part of your house, rather than the outside environment. But many small gardens, by their very nature, often suffer from the worst extremes of weather.
Surrounding buildings and walls can create too much shade, which encourages the growth of moss and algae. They may also trap too much sunlight - which has the potential to kill everything in sight. When designing your small garden, take into consideration the pros and cons of its climate and surrounds, to enhance or remedy it as needed.
Go up
When you have limited ground space, you need to make the most of the air above it and go up. Whether it’s training climbers up walls, creating a vertical garden, or installing shelves for pots, going up is the most effective way to improve your growing space.
While most climbers and vines are fast-growing plants, because your garden is small, everything is on display. There are many attractive – and affordable – options for providing growing plants, including trellis and wiring. If you're not sure what's right, a visit to the local nursery or garden centre should help you to see what's available and suitable for your needs.
Making use of vertical space is also a great way to hide stark, bare walls, to improve your privacy, and to introduce some strategic shade to help keep your home cool.
Reflective surfaces
Reflective surfaces, such as mirrors, ponds and glass, can give the illusion of more space, as well as adding additional light - wich is often a bonus both in terms of brightening the space, and providing energy to your plants.
Reflective surfaces can be incorporated in all manner of ways. Mirrors can be a simple wall-mounted unit, giving a tantalising ‘peek’ into the garden next door (more in this in a minute), or mirrored balls can be used to create a stunning focal point. Ponds can be a traditional in-ground affair, or raised in a variety of fashions.
Borrow some scenery
If you're short on space of your own for your garden, a great way to flatter it and make the most of the view is to use a bit of 'borrowed landscape' - perhaps from a neighbour's yard, or from the surrounding area. This is a very old trick - the concept of 'borrowed scenery' is described in the thousand-year-old gardening manual, the Sakuteiki (in Japanese, the concept is called 'shakkei').The concept of 'borrowing a view' is also very popular in architecture and building design, to help make smaller spaces feel more open.
If you happen to have a nice view (or part of a nice view) from your garden, consider how you can incorporate or use it to enhance your garden.
Consider function and storage at all times
Whatever you want to do, make sure you remember to be practical and consider what kinds of tools you’ll need to achieve it - and where you’ll store them. A pile of tools, pots, and other garden paraphernalia in the corner will make your garden look messy, crowded and – you guessed it – smaller.
Fortunately, there are many super-smart storage solutions out there. This could include:
- creating bench seats with storage underneath
- screen storage areas behind tall – but thin – plants such as bamboo, or
- buying multi-tools that take up less space to store.
Enjoy it!
Limited space in which to create a garden needn’t mean you sacrifice your dreams of having a garden – it just adds another challenging to the already challenging pursuit of gardening! Whether you’re looking to grow vegetables, create a relaxing retreat or cultivate your favourite roses, there's always a good way to create an attractive garden in a small space.
