Ensure privacy by planting vines on a trellis or creating walls of lush greens with lattice or garden fencing. Illuminate your outdoor room with back-lit plants or lighting that shines through water features like a narrow rill to beautifully disperse light.
Add eye-level interest by arranging planters of all shapes and sizes, from concrete urns to weathered wooden crates, in an asymmetrical pattern. Repeat plant material and colors throughout your garden to create a cohesive, beautiful look.
Plants
The secret to making a small garden feel like an oasis is layering plants at varying heights. Luckily, plant breeders have made small space gardening a focus for over a decade, with shrubs and trees that grow to fit tiny spaces and provide the backbone of a landscape design. ‘Baby Kim’ lilac (Syringa hybrid ‘SMNSDTP’) packs all the flowers of a full-size variety into just three by three feet, while evergreens like ‘Skyrocket’ juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) and ‘Slender Silhouette’ sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) add color and foliage to the backdrop.
Hanging pots or planting vertically can also create green outdoor “rooms” that increase privacy and seclusion without relying on fencing. Plants layered on a trellis, as in this teeny balcony garden spotted by Instagrammer @masha_kindjer, also offer height and shade.
In a petite backyard, site a standout plant or sculpture at the end of the space to draw the eye toward it. Lastly, select the right furniture pieces to accommodate the space and suit your style. Wrought iron and cast iron are classic options, but you can even find weatherproof patio furniture in modern silhouettes and colors.
Furniture
Garden decorations aren’t limited to outdoor furniture. Displaying items you love, like wooden wheelbarrows, bright glass bottles, seashells or even garden gnomes, helps make a small garden feel more intimate and welcoming.
Look for flower and vegetable gardening ideas that help a garden go further with less. Rather than having a huge range of plants, focus on fewer but more high-performing varieties. This reduces maintenance needs and keeps garden design easier.
Use trellises or walls to add height and depth to a tiny garden. In this backyard oasis from Fantastic Frank, tall slightly overgrown hedges and a simple table and chairs offer seating for private conversations in the shade of a calming flower garden.
Even if you don’t have a large yard, you can still transform an urban balcony into a serene retreat with window-box flowers and veggie gardens, hanging planters and mood lighting. See more inspiring urban gardening ideas here. Fences and garden walls also ensure privacy for patios and decks.
Lighting
When you have a small garden, lighting is essential to make the space work at all times of day. Look for outdoor lighting ideas that will make the space feel like an extension of your home, such as uplighting trees and shrubs or placing a light at each seat around a fire pit patio.
Pathways entice the eye to pause and admire their details, and they’re useful for adding definition to a small garden design. Use a mix of materials, including gravel, stone, and brick to create pathways that enchant the eye and make a backyard feel larger.
Look for compact, space-saving tree varieties, such as ‘Little Miss Figgy’ dwarf fig (Ficus carica) or the espaliered ‘Golden Sentinel’ apple (Malus domestica), to add height without taking up too much room in the planting. Plant them as a focal point against walls and fences, or train them as an espalier. They’re great additions to gardens that contain other, lower-growing plants, such as thyme and oregano.
Decor
A backyard garden can be a paradise even with limited space for plants. Adding garden decor that’s inspired by your favorite flower, edible vegetable or calming herb can help make the space feel like an oasis.
Decorative touches can be as simple as hanging string lights or placing lanterns on a porch railing. Or you can repurpose materials to create unique features, such as using old window shutters to frame a dining table or making a curved walkway with salvaged planks of wood.
Use tall plant material to create privacy and add height to a garden. Look for small shrubs and trees that grow quickly, such as Baby Kim lilac (Syringa hybrid) or “Skyrocket” juniper (Juniperus scopulorum). Or train fruiting or ornamental trees to an espalier on a fence or wall for space-saving vertical structure.
A garden can feel magical at night with the addition of lighting. Porch lights illuminate entry ways and seating areas for safety, while dimmable LEDs or candles can brighten up conversation and dining spaces.
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