Welcome! As a previous owner of a small garden, I know how hard it is to make them beautiful. Therefore, I am going to give you everything you need to know to make your small garden perfect.
So, we are going to start with my 3 design foundations – a must for any design related activity, inside or outside. Then I will give you the rules of thumb for small gardens, followed by some mega design tips. After that you will get some clever ideas to make the most out of your space. And finally, I will give you ideas about how to use plants in a small garden. Then, you will have everything you need for a perfect small garden! However, if you have any questions or feedback leave a comment.
- Small garden – the starting point
- Rules of (green)thumb
- Planting
- Clever stuff
- 1️⃣1️⃣Don’t just use the ground – use the volume.
- 1️⃣2️⃣Grow things on your fences
- 1️⃣3️⃣Make seating storage
- 1️⃣4️⃣Use fold down items
- 1️⃣5️⃣One item – multiple uses
- 1️⃣6️⃣Consider reducing the size of your lawn
- 1️⃣7️⃣Small garden – multiple pots
- 1️⃣8️⃣Layering
- 1️⃣9️⃣Use mirrors
- 2️⃣0️⃣A small garden is perfect for step over fruit
- Design tips for a small garden
- Your small garden made fabulous!
“Plant and your spouse plants with you; weed and you weed alone.”
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Small garden – the starting point
When you are staring at a space that you want to transform, it can sometimes be overwhelming. But don’t worry, if you break it down into simple steps it soon becomes manageable. So let’s start with the 3 garden design foundations which work, no matter what size garden you have. Moreover, if you want to know all about garden design, have a read of my detailed post ‘the ultimate guide to planning your own dream garden’.
So, a brief summary of my 3 garden design foundations: Purpose, feeling and time.
Purpose
Firstly, ask yourself what you want to do in your garden. For example, you may want to have a dining area, or somewhere to have a morning coffee. Or perhaps you want to have somewhere for your kids to play, or for your furry friends to have fun. If so, there are a plethora of things you can do in even a small garden that you don’t need to limit yourself to just one or two ideas. So be greedy!
I believe that you really can have it all and you will get the most joy out of your green space when you create something you want. Furthermore, if you want extra tips and ideas then head over to my Pinterest profile where you find some additional inspiration!
Feelings
Secondly, I want you to consider how you want your garden to make you feel. For example, do you want to feel calm and relaxed, or how about cosy and cocooned? Because, plants, colours and textures can all contribute to the feel of your garden, much like colours and textures of a room design can change how you feel when you’re in them. As a result, you will get the most pleasure by having somewhere you love looking at and that are just desperate to be in.
Time
Lastly, make sure you really consider how much time you have for upkeep. For example, if you want a lawn, do you have time to mow it? If you like annual plants, do you have time every year to plant them out? So whatever your reasons, be sure to think about how much time you can realistically give to your garden. But don’t let a lack of time, knowledge or even willingness put you off as clever planting with the right landscaping, can give you exactly what you want with minimal effort.
So, if you have really thought about the above three things, you will have a great design foundation. Therefore I can now give you some fabulous ideas to suit your needs so you can create your own perfect small garden.
Rules of (green)thumb
1️⃣50/50 rule for the small garden
There is one rule that will really help your small garden out – that is the 50/50 rule. This is where you devote 50% of your garden to plants and 50% to landscaping like decking/patio. As a result, your garden will be balanced, which is easier on the eye!
2️⃣ Mask your boundaries
In order to make your garden seem bigger, a great tip is to mask your boundaries. Why? Because, this will fool people into thinking that your garden extends beyond what the eye can see. Of course, you can do this a number of ways. For example, paint your fences black so they blend into the background (my favourite). Or, you can also use plants mask your boundaries too! And, if you look at the picture below, you can clearly do both and it looks fabulous!
3️⃣Use colours
I love colours. Moreover, colours can make a small garden look bigger! This is because they draw the eye away from borders, make you feel calm or energised, and give you so many wonderful things to look at. I think you can see that from the second of the below pictures!
4️⃣Use every inch of your small garden
When space is at a previous you need to use it all! Obviously, there will be places in your garden, little nooks and crannies that you won‘t think about using. For example, the corners of fencing, underneath hedges, space in your sheds. So I encourage you to use every single bit of space that you can. Moreover, there are plants for nearly everywhere, so use them! Also, consider design tricks for places where plants won’t grow, such as statues or interesting items.
5️⃣A small garden has hidden space
Don’t think of your garden in 2 dimensions, think of it in 3. Because your garden is a 3D space, use the volume. For example, use structures such as pergolas or arches which you can then grow plants up or hang decorations from. Also, consider using a vertical garden to mask a wall or a fence. In fact, if you want your own veg, you can grow salad leaves on a north facing wall or fence. The possibilities are endless!
Planting
My rule is that no garden is complete without plants, and trust me, you will be amazed at how many plants you can fit in a small space. So lets have a look at some great small garden plants tips!
6️⃣Plant trees!
Firstly, small gardens can absolutely cope with a tree or two or three, and the key to this is to choose ones that do not get too big, or if they do, contain them in pots. My favourites are Japanese acers because they come in a myriad of colours, plus their leaves change colour with the seasons. Therefore from spring through to winter you get so you get such value out of them. Also, pick trees that are either single trunk and striking such as silver birch, or multi stemmed and magnificent such as acers.
7️⃣Small gardens need big plants
Another tip which seems counter-intuitive is to use big plants. They key to this is to choose ones which whilst voluminous, are also spacious. By this I mean they have space between their foliage so they let in light and movement. A really good example of this is fatsia japonica (modelled by Trooper below), which has lovely coloured and shaped leaves and has the added bonus of being evergreen. I also like tetrapanex which looks like something out of Jurassic park!
8️⃣Small garden – big boarders
Use bigger, wider and deeper flower boarders as this will create a feeling of envelopment as well as masking your borders. Plus, it gives you lots of interest which draws the eye and makes you linger. And if you are feeling adventurous, mix in flowers with vegetables so you can have a productive as well as a beautiful garden. Who says you can’t have space for everything in a small garden? And if you’re wondering how to do this, follow my allotment / potager garden – aka the allot-pot here!
9️⃣Plant wisely
Plant for year round interest or plants that produce the longest flowering seasons, such as 1. echinacea, 2. geraniums and 3. dahlias. Because then not only will you have flowers in your garden, you can pick them for your home too!
🔟Climbing plants love a small garden
Use climbing plants and trailing plants to cover every inch of space because this blurs boundaries! Here you can see how I used ivy to cover a brick extension in order to help it blend into the garden. Did I mention I wish I had painted the fence black? 😆
Clever stuff
This section is designed to give you the little hints and tips that will make all the difference to your garden.
1️⃣1️⃣Don’t just use the ground – use the volume.
Think of your garden as a 3D shape rather than just a 2D, which means you have space all around you to use. So, think about how you can use that space such as adding hang baskets or using garden dividers and growing plants up them.
1️⃣2️⃣Grow things on your fences
Now, this is ingenious for small gardens as it gives you metres of extra space. Paint your fences, either black or a nice green and they will blend into the background (did I mention this yet? 😆). Then grow plants up your fences, or decorate with items that you love. For example, I made a herb wall on my vertical raised bed.
1️⃣3️⃣Make seating storage
Small gardens are notorious for lack of storage, so we have to make the most of everything. You will no doubt need somewhere to sit, so consider using seating that doubles up as storage.
1️⃣4️⃣Use fold down items
If have a small garden which doesn’t even have space for a table, I have a solution for you. Use a folder down table and chairs. I have one in my small study, so why not use one for your garden?
1️⃣5️⃣One item – multiple uses
Along the lines of the previous tip, if you have space for a small garden building, you can double up what you use them for. For a summer house, you can use it for sitting in when the whether is either too hot or too wet, plus you can use it as a potting shed!
1️⃣6️⃣Consider reducing the size of your lawn
If you have a square or rectangular lawn, consider making it a circle, or remove some of it and replace it either with landscaping i.e. decking or patio, or plants.
1️⃣7️⃣Small garden – multiple pots
The fabulous thing about pots is that they are so versatile and you can use them in the tiniest gardens. As a result, they will allow you to have plants even when you thought you couldn’t. And of course colour and texture. Plus, you will be surprised how many you can get in even a small garden!
1️⃣8️⃣Layering
To make your small garden look lush with planting by layering your plants. This means, that you use plants of different sizes in your space. Such as a ground cover plant, then a medium sized plant, and then a tall plant behind the first two. For example, take the below picture which I took in France and is an excellent example of layering. Moreover, the contrast of the foliage and flower colours, with the repetition is just lovely.
1️⃣9️⃣Use mirrors
This is one of my favourite tips! A mirror is such a must for a small garden because it can trick the eye into thinking you have extra space. And, if you put it in the right place, you can make it look like you have a window in your wall which leads you to another secret garden!
2️⃣0️⃣A small garden is perfect for step over fruit
Did you think a small garden precludes you from growing your own fruit and veg? Well it doesn’t! Think about planting a step over apple or pear. This is a small tree trained to grow horizontally rather than vertically, so you can literally step over it. It’s great for growing along pathways. I have just planted some in my allotment – which you can read all about here. And if you want to see a picture of a step over fruit tree, check out my Pinterest page here.
Design tips for a small garden
In this section I am going to give you a few design tips to make your small garden feel like it is a bit bigger.
2️⃣1️⃣Use winding pathways so your small garden feels bigger
If you have a straight line path from one side of your garden to the other, this highlights the size of the space. So, add a few winding curves, and then plant something big on the corner, as this will mask the boundaries and it will take you longer to walk from one end of the garden to the other, creating the feeling of space.
2️⃣2️⃣Use scent and pretty things to make you linger
Put things in your small garden which draw attention. For example, scented plants will make you want to stop and smell them, and planting a statue or other eye catching ‘thing’ will draw the eye and make you want to head over to explore.
2️⃣3️⃣Use dividers so your small garden has rooms
Think of your garden as you would the interior of your home. Now, you may think you have a small garden, but when you think of it terms of room space, you probably can fit in a few rooms! If so, consider dividing your garden into rooms with clever use of height. A good example of this would be raised beds with trellis, or a garden archway, or even some bespoke garden dividers.
2️⃣4️⃣Use lighting
Lighting is a must for all gardens if you want to get the most out of your space, because you will be able to extend the day and use it in the evenings. Also, careful lighting creates shadows and highlights and a whole different feel. Of course, lighting is also useful to see where you are going!
2️⃣5️⃣Even a small garden can have a seating area.
My final design tip is to include somewhere to sit. Even a small garden can have a seat and if you surround yourself with plants of scent and colour, you will be amazed how calming sitting in your garden, soaking up vitamin D from the sunshine can be. The below photos are from my old garden and the cube table is a genius idea for a full dining table and chairs in a small garden.
Your small garden made fabulous!
I hope you have been able to take some inspiration from my little hints and tips. Because I have owned gardens of all shapes and sizes, I know what you can do with them. As a result, I think you to will be amazed at what impact you can have in even the smallest of spaces and how many plants you can fit in!
For more tips follow me on instagram and facebook!
Happy gardening
JT x
