Small Garden Design Ideas

Do you have a small garden but are unsure of how to make the most of your space?

Here are our ideas and tips to give you inspiration and to show you that it doesn’t have to be big to be beautiful:

Ideas #1

Remove any awkward strips of lawn between your flowerbed and paving by filling the area with flowers so that the two areas neighbour each other.

Ideas #2

Paint your garden wall in a colour that compliments your flower colours especially if you don’t have much space for actual flowers but want a colourful garden. One idea is to have a mauve/light purple wall as a backdrop to pink roses, lilac Scabiosa and Verbana bonariensis hybrid.

Ideas #3

Adding height by featuring flower boxes on pillars will add another dimension to your garden, allow you to fit more in then you would just sticking to floor level and let you have climbing or trailing plants like variegated ivy and Dichondra argentea ‘Silver Falls’. You also then have the capacity to add more flower variations which will effectively be framed by the ‘shelf’ and pillars. Combination possibilities are endless; you can have trailing plants amongst baby’s breath, swan river daisy and Impatiens with a foreground of lavender, Fuchsia, lemon scented Pelargonium and roses.

Small Garden Design Ideas

Ideas #4

Another way to add surface area to your plantings is to have plants covering your garden shed roof which is becoming quite popular in many countries. Waterwise fynbos or succulents are ideal. You can also maximise space by placing baskets brimming with flowers or veggies such as spinach, eggplant and bush-beans on the stairwell or grow your fruit trees right against the wall to save space.

Ideas #5

You can have as small edible garden as you want and so can fit one into your patio or small back garden. One possibility is to have a table with an in-built rectangular flower pot (sunk in section in the centre of the table) in which you can plant herbs, salad greensand edible flowers such as rocket, Calendula and nasturtium.

Ideas #6

Hang an edible garden/vegetable patch on a wall by planting salad greens seeds in a flat, wire basket framework. Ensure that it is placed out of direct sunlight and that you water it daily to keep it looking luscious and fresh.

Small Garden Design Ideas

Ideas #7

If you have clay soil or do not want to have to bend over to properly see/reach your plants, consider having raised beds made from recycled plastic planks or reclaimed timber so that they are higher and easier to get to.

Ideas #8

Add natural texture to your outdoor space by incorporating wood or stacking branches or tree trunks to form a screen.

Small Garden Design Ideas

Ideas #9

Keep it natural by using your own clippings of twigs and branches to stake your annual climbers like runner beans, sweet peas, peas and black-eyed Susan.

Ideas #10

Instead of using traditional paving, consider decking which will give your garden a softer look. If it’s the hassle of looking after a wooden deck that’s your concern, an alternative is a deck made up of recycled plastic planks. Surrounding the deck area with grass, day lilies, lace flower and poppies will attract wild birds to your garden and make it feel more like a pretty meadow than a back garden.

Ideas #11

Irregularly broken slabs of broken natural stone may seem useless but you can use them to create steps which can lead to a raised flower garden or woodland area.

Ideas #12

Before throwing out ornaments or even daily items, consider upcycling them. Something like a milk urn makes an excellent, characteristic plant container especially if you use a contrasting plant like a red begonia. Other second-hand items to give your garden an organic, rustic, used look include old wagon wheels, small woven baskets housing mini arrangements or hand tools positioned in prominent locations.

Small Garden Design Ideas

Ideas #13

If you have stepping stones, plant fragrant groundcover like pennyroyal or creeping thyme between the gaps so that, when people walk on them, they will release a pleasant, fresh aroma.

Ideas #14

Alpine gardening is ideal if you wish to add height, do not have a flowerbed, want something different from the traditional rockery or want to have an area of interest in your garden. Stack the big rocks as you would with a rockery but then place pockets of soil so that you can plant low-growing, drought resistant, flowering plants.

Ideas #15

Planting the same flower or plant in flowing lines across your flowerbed is known as ‘plant rivers’ and this is becoming increasing popular instead of scattering seeds and having a random flower formation.

Ideas #16

If you have the space and choose to have a gazebo (especially if it is a metal or wrought iron one), it can look imposing on a garden but you can soften the lines and make it a part of the garden by placing plant containers along/on the top and featuring trailing plants for example using a combination of petunias and Tillandsia usneoides.

Ideas #17

Even if space is limited, having a small pond is always an option. All you need to do is dig out some soil, line the hole with some thick plastic pond-liner and then hide the liner under various sized pebbles to make it look natural. Then place some bigger rocks around the edges and plant a few bog plants around the edges to complete the look.

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