Plant according to sunlight and shade.
Plants need sunlight, yet many dislike direct sunlight and prefer dark areas. So, plant according to your garden’s environment and soil.
‘Shady and north-facing gardens may nevertheless look fantastic,’ adds Alix of Dig Club. ‘If your little garden does not get much sunlight, don’t panic; you can still fill it with lovely plants that will add character and individuality to the area.
“Jungle” or “Forest” type plants such as ferns, dwarf bamboo, and dramatic shrubs like Fatsia japonica with their enormous leaves may help fill the area and create a lush, green retreat. Color may still be given with Geraniums such as ‘Rozanne’, Alliums, and Irises, which create bold flashes of color amid the greens.
Make it into a tropical paradise.
Outdoor living is fantastic, but no one wants a yard overrun with furniture and devoid of life. When working with tiny garden ideas, include lots of pockets of greenery around walks or patios, such as hedges, bushes, and trees.
If your little garden does not experience much frost, plant warm-weather plants like grasses, palms, and tree ferns. Tropical plants like this will give your landscape a vacation vibe throughout summer.
These live features will make your garden more pleasurable for both you and your family. ‘Trees provide various more advantages to your landscape, such as the peaceful sound of leaves rustling in the breeze and lessening the loudness of artificial noise,’ adds Cass Heaphy from Paving Direct.
Work on an arbour.
An arbour allows you to see your garden from a different perspective. These covered sections need less room than a pergola while providing an additional shaded sitting area, making them an excellent example of small garden ideas.
Placing an arbour at the end of your garden in a sunny location away from the eating area allows you to maximize the space at various times of day. It might be a peaceful refuge to have a morning coffee before the day gets started, or someplace to unwind with a sundowner and catch your breath after work.
Add interest with a variety of containers and planters.
Plants in pots and planters may be moved about and placed in a conservatory, greenhouse, or inside to protect them from cold.
‘Interesting planters and pots of varying heights mean they are not only a space saving but can also be utilized to create a feeling of enclosure when put around a dining area or as focus points around the garden,’ explains landscape designer Alix of Dig Club.
‘The design of the planter is also crucial; ensuring it is consistent with the general style of the garden and even the inside of the home to give a feeling of continuity. Do not feel obligated to use just one plant per pot.
‘For bigger pots, try a small tree like Olive or Bay, and underplant with trailing plants such as Vinca minor or Helianthemum ‘The Bride’, which fall over the sides of pots and soften them.’
Create barriers and fences for climbers.
Remember to utilize walls and fences for vegetation when working with a limited area. Climbing plants give shade and provide a pleasant sensation of enclosure. They also effectively absorb noise and pollutants.
‘One of the finest little garden ideas is to plant vertically,’ says Alix from Dig Club. ‘This might be accomplished with a living wall (albeit they do need some upkeep) or with slightly bigger pots.
‘This also means you may experiment with planting combinations inside them to provide interest and height via textures, colors, and shape. Using climbers, such as the evergreen Star Jasmine, can give interest and foliage while taking up little area.
Take the indoors out.
With outdoor living room ideas, you can make a tiny yard seem larger by having it appear to be an extension of your inside area. Making the most use of available space, no matter how tiny, increases its value. Dress up your little garden area with a furniture set and colorful outdoor fairy light ideas to make it a place you want to spend more time.
‘Do not overlook attention to detail; the same rules apply outside as they do for an interior project,’ explains Emmie Brookman, Creative Director of homeware firm Silver Mushroom. ‘Your outdoor area should be a pleasant extension of your house, so accessorise it as you would within. Introduce pillows, rugs, candles, and bowls; after all, you can always move them inside if the weather changes.
Similarly, a multitude of potted plants provides greenery, but since the pots are transportable, you have the ability to rearrange things as needed.
Select slimline choices.
In smaller outdoor settings, consider using a slimline plant stand. Cover barren sections of fence or bricks with plants and trailing foliage, then look upward for more planting. give a ladder stand to give height to displays; it’s one of the simplest budget garden ideas and is easy to relocate if you want to alter things up.
Create a gallery wall.
Create a display of frames and wall-hung pots to experiment with outdoor wall art, just like you would with inside photographs. Use junk store items to hang old wooden frames and upcycle old bread tins into planters. Simply drill holes in the base for drainage and on the side to connect to the wall.
Hang over a lovely outdoor seat, much like you would a couch inside, and complete with some cushions and a blanket.
Grow your own vegetables in containers
You may believe it is impossible to cultivate your own vegetables in a tiny garden, especially if you want to use it for socializing. However, not all crops need a huge devoted plot.
‘Tomatoes are one of the simplest crops to cultivate in containers,’ explains Cass of Paving Direct. ‘As long as you have a spot that gets at least five to six hours of sunshine every day, you may easily learn how to produce tomatoes in pots. There are many different tomato species available, but if you have limited space, go with smaller varieties like cherry tomatoes.
Runner beans, sugar snap peas, broad beans, and French beans may all be grown in a compact space as long as they get enough of sunlight. All you need is a container at least one foot deep and, if you have a climbing type, a trellis-like structure to support the vines. Sow seeds on a regular basis to ensure a steady supply of crops throughout the summer.
Create a little herb garden.
Herb gardens do not have to be limited to windowsills or vast veggie patches. Upcycle a side or coffee table to create a small, DIY planting space ideal for herbs.
In addition to preserving room underneath for further planting or storage, raising the plants higher will relieve a lot of pressure on your back from stooping over vegetable gardens.
‘In addition to herbs, salad leaves and lettuce are really simple veggies to raise,’ adds Cass from Paving Direct. ‘Some plants sprout within four weeks. Find seeds at your local store and plant at regular intervals for a full salad bowl all summer.
Create a little outdoor kitchen.
Extend your kitchen’s capabilities outside, even into tiny courtyard gardens. Potting tables may offer a slender, compact surface along one side of a patio for outdoor food preparation; selecting units with galvanized or zinc-topped surfaces makes cleanup quicker and protects hardwood surfaces from weather damage.
Hang a bamboo pole above your units using cup hooks put into the wall or fence, then use S-hooks to hang cooking items along its length.
Double your space.
When deciding how to make a tiny garden seem larger, one reliable solution is to utilize garden mirrors. Make your own using an old gate or some painted trellis put on a piece of mirrored wood.
This is not only a less costly option than an outside mirror, but it also eliminates the risk of mirror breaking. Set a table nearby so that you can enjoy a glimpse of the garden from wherever you sit.
Top tip: utilizing a grid-style mirror makes birds less likely to fly into it.
Create a kids corner.
Cut down a raised bed to create a deck portion with a huge chalkboard and a covered sandpit for sunny-day fun. To build a sand and dirt barrier, consider utilizing old railway sleepers.
Finish by attaching a peg rail to the bottom of the sandpit lid to hang toys and tools.
Create a private bar.
Look for outdoor bar ideas to make your own mini entertainment space with a creative pull-down bar fashioned from a couple of pallets and a length of chain. Cut the top piece of the pallet to serve as the flip down section, then connect using two sturdy hinges and lengths of chain.
Adding an outside herb planter to the top part will keep them easily accessible for cocktails and barbecues.
Hang furniture to free up floor space.
When dealing with tiny interior spaces, designers will emphasize the need of lifting furniture off the ground to provide the impression of additional floor space. This is particularly true for wall-mounted bathroom equipment.
Use the same concept for tiny garden ideas by selecting a hanging chair. A garden nook is all that is required for a reading area, the ideal location to unwind. A hanging egg chair keeps the ground and sightline free, creating a sense of spaciousness in even the tiniest rooms.
Highlight the space with clusters of pots with greenery of varied heights and sizes, and combine store-bought planters with antique buckets or troughs. Mix materials like zinc, rattan, and terracotta to give your landscape an easy layered appearance.
Make a little area work harder.
Divide your landscape into zones to create the sense of more space. The versatile uses and outdoor ‘rooms’ will make the area seem bigger when used for separate reasons.
There are several zones you may design based on the available area and what you like doing. Consider creating a gathering spot, a reading nook, outdoor kitchen ideas, a play area, a vegetable plot… the garden is your oyster!