Big Design Ideas for Small Gardens

6th October 2022 - By Sarah Burns

making the most of a small garden

Even if you have a small garden, there are steps you can take to enhance its look and feel. In this mini guide, we’ll discuss several big design ideas to give your small garden a new lease of life. Let’s dive in!

Walled Courtyard

You’ll often find courtyards in urban environments, but they tend not to offer a particularly appealing aesthetic or environment. However, it’s possible to create a contemporary stylish-looking walled courtyard.

Here are some aspects a great walled courtyard may include:

A small section of artificial grass at the centre
A small seating spaces
Plants or/and vegetation surrounded the central region of your garden, following the walls of the courtyard

Multi-zonal Garden

Garden zoning means adding several contrasting points throughout your garden. Obviously, with a small garden, you will be relatively limited. However, there are still steps you can take.

Here are some ‘zones’ you could add to your garden:

Soft hedging
Light paving slabs
Decorative stones
Small decking section

There are also specific steps you can take to give a sense of greater space. For instance, if you set your decking board in a horizontal position with paving next to it, it can create the illusion of a wider space.

Enhance Your Patio

Even if you have a small patio, there are ways you can make your garden seem larger and more appealing. For one, you might want to create a vertical garden. This could involve setting up a range of pots featuring tall plants or even adding vertically suspended panels with an array of plant growth or create a ‘living wall’ where plants grow on the side of your wall.

Beyond that, you might want to add suitable furniture. Along with a vertical garden, you’ll have sufficient space to create a small but valuable space for relaxing in the summer. Considering adding seating and a small table.

If you don’t yet have a patio or you’d like to replace your existing patio, you’ll need to consider the cost of a new patio. With the right choices, you can keep your costs down since prices will vary depending on the materials used among other factors.

Layered Aesthetic

Layering can also enhance the character of a small garden. For example, you might want to mix ground-level beds with raised garden beds. This contrast (similar to zoning) can make your garden seem fuller and larger than it actually is.

You might also want to add a slightly raised path/walkway so that plants at ground level appear a little taller. Adding in grassed areas can add another layer of interest to your garden, and don’t worry about the mowing, you can look at something like artificial grass san bernardino ca for an alternative.

Create a mini tropical oasis

You might not currently associate your garden with the tropics, but that doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Assuming your garden doesn’t suffer from too much frost during the winter, there are various plants that can grow in the UK which offer a tropical vibe.

Here are some plants/trees worth considering:

Chusan Palm
Cordyline Australis Green
Ferns
Plantain Lily
Phormium Platts Black
Phormium Rainbow Queen
Bronze New Zealand Hair Sedge
Bean Tree
Bamboo
Arum Lily
Eucomis
New Zealand Flax

Install an arbour

One potential focal point for a small garden worth considering is an arbour. Put simply, this is a vertical garden structure with seating that also provides shelter. There are many beautifully designed arbours on the market.

If this is your cup of tea, we recommend looking around to find the right arbour for you and your garden. A stunning arbour can really give a small garden a new lease of life and ultimately change how you feel about using its space, especially during the summertime.

Add a gallery wall

You might be wondering what we mean by a gallery wall. In this case, we’re not suggesting adding framed paintings to your garden wall.

Instead, you can decorate your wall with plants and plant pots which are fixed in place. With that said, you may want to use a frame or two to surround some of your plants/plant pots. This will help complete the artistic feel.

After all, using actual plants/plant pots is almost like creating a three-dimensional gallery wall, bringing the art to life and giving more colour and vibrancy to your garden space.