5 Garden Design Tips to Transform Your Small Space

During the Covid 19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, people took to their gardens to socialise and for fresh air. During that time, gardeners spent a whopping 42% more time gardening while numerous others picked up a trowel for the first time. Although interested in gardening and eager to spend more time outdoors, downsizers and first timers found themselves with very small outdoor spaces to contend with. But there is no need for small spaces to limit the imagination or hamper creativity. There is a lot you can do with a small garden! Here are some garden design tips to help transform your small space!

1. Plant Your Plants Along Your Perimeter

Usable grass space can be scarce in small environments. If you are lucky enough to have a patch of grass, use only the perimeter for planting. You can maximise the space by keeping the grass area clear but surround it with a variety of plants.

This keeps the lawn space open for kids’ play and for grown-ups who like to entertain.  It also gives your garden a lovely park-like atmosphere while allowing you to have a lush, bushy garden!

2. Focus on Patio Living

Sometimes the best way to make the most of your small garden is to focus on your patio.

By planting along the outskirts or by having a variety of luscious potted plants on your patio, you can still enjoy plenty of greenery. Furniture on the patio creates a social outdoor space and the surrounding plants instils that fresh feeling of being in nature.

It is also an opportunity to play around with a wide variety of plants. Depending on the positioning of the plants and the aspect of the patio,  shade loving plants and sun worshippers alike can cohabit in the same space! It is also worth exploring vertical options with hanging plants and climbers surrounding the patio space.

3. Have A Welcome Garden Instead

No matter how small a garden, there are several ways to include beautiful flowers and shrubs. No space is a waste of space including the front of your home or driveway.

Plant some easy-to-grow plants, like daylilies or flowering shrubs and create a pretty little welcoming garden.

4. Create A Garden With Purpose

When it comes to designing a garden, it’s important to make it fit for purpose. Small gardens will lack the luxury of space and therefore need to be as functional as possible in their design. If you want to grow vegetables, the space for a raised bed, a herb garden or potted veg must be determined. Perhaps you need to incorporate some privacy by screening off an area with hedging?  If it is a space to sit and rest, establish where the sun or shade is best enjoyed before committing to any immovable structures.

Regardless of what you want to do with your garden design, think about how to best use the small space. It doesn’t have to feel like a compromise.

5. Create A Garden “Destination”

There are many styles that can be adopted for most garden sizes and one that works well in small spaces is a “destination” or focal point in your space.

A very pretty and colourful approach is to create little garden islands with specific colourful flowers. You could also do this with clusters of flowers or plants. Choose combinations that grow well together and complement each other in colour and size. These mini-gardens become a small oasis in an outside space.

A “destination” in a small garden can generate an intriguing ambience without over-stuffing your limited space with plants.

Time To Transform Your Small Garden

Just because you have a small garden doesn’t mean you can’t create a stunning sanctuary where you can enjoy the fresh air and muck around in the soil. When it comes to garden design, no space is too small , you just have to be smart with how you design it and what you plant.

These garden design tips are just the beginning. There are many more ideas and innovations that can truly transform your small garden.

Are you a green thumb looking to take garden design courses? Then you’ve come to the right place! The Garden Design Academy has courses for everyone! Check them out and apply today!