Just because you don’t have the sprawling grounds of Downton Abbey, the herbaceous borders of Kew Gardens, or the pristinely kept lawns of the White House doesn’t mean you can’t fly your horticultural flag. If you know what to do a petite garden can become filled with more flowers, greenery and climbing ferns than you can shake a stick at! Small gardens are also far easier to manage and owners say that it’s much nicer to spend an hour or two weeding than the entire day struggling with the lawnmower.
Choose Winding Gravel Paths
By choosing white, or beige gravel paths you’ll be able to give the illusion that the garden is bigger than it actually is. The crushed brick is also much easier to maintain than say flagstones, or paving slabs can be tricky to clean and easily crack while gravel remains packed into a smooth, tight path. Before you lay your gravel make sure to spread some landscape fabric underneath, this’ll deter unsightly weeds from coming up through the stones as well as keeping the soil below healthy.
Fill It With Pots And Planters
You might be short on space so why not use every extra inch? Don’t just stick to flowerbeds, vegetable patches or wooded areas and grab some brightly coloured pots. Fill your planters with colourful flowers and sensational smelling herbs and place in strategic points in the garden. If an area seems dark and gloomy check to see that there aren’t any weeds, brambles or nettles that could have choked other plants as trailing roots may have blocked out the sunlight.
Create A Diminutive Pergola Patio
Despite its tiny stature a two person patio can look simply stunning in a smaller garden. You could even consider building a small raised deck, winding clematis or honeysuckle around the deck railing to make the area look even prettier. Adding a pergola, or miniature gazebo will help to give the patio structure, giving the impression the patio and pergola are one and making the area look bigger than it is. Look for multi-functional garden furniture such as end tables that have hidden drawers or a wicker sofa or lawn chair set that’s easy to store.
Eliminate Your Lawn Completely
If you won’t miss the elegance of a green striped lawn, lush, verdant grass or the feel of morning dew under your feet, then we suggest getting rid all your turf. By creating a gravel, stone or decked courtyard they’ll be more room for flowering plants and flowers as well as more square footage available to enhance your outdoor seating space. Can’t bear the idea of having no lawn? You could leave a mowing strip so you’d have gravel paths as well as lawn and your plants will stay neat and tidy in the flowerbeds instead of sprawling all over the place.
Grow Vivacious Vines On Walls
When considering your vegetable patch don’t forget the walls or trellis behind the patch itself as a bevy of flowers, fruit and vegetables can be grown by constructing climbing vines. By adding these behind the planting bed runner beans, tomatoes, and oranges are free to grow vertically instead of encroaching on their neighbours space.