Gardens are so crucial for your emotional wellbeing and social life. Nothing beats a BBQ with friends or relaxing on your deck after a stressful day with a glass of wine. But what about when you have a small garden?
While many people believe there’s nothing you can do with a small back garden, the team here at Floral & Hardy couldn’t disagree more. The fact is, if you have a small outdoor space, you can use special design techniques to turn it into a peaceful haven.
In this post, we’ll share some inspirational ideas from our designers. We’ve worked on projects of all sizes, so if you want to make the most of your space – we have you covered!
Seating
No garden is complete without a designated seating area. Let’s face it; few people want to sit on the grass, but how can you accommodate your family and friends with a small garden?
Use Folding Chairs
Folding chairs are a godsend for people with small gardens because they enable you to have a seating area without compromising space. If you have a small shed or attic, you can store the chairs during the colder seasons, then enjoy them throughout spring and summer.
Add a Corner Sofa
Corner sofas might be large, but they can be helpful space-saving solutions in your garden. You can place a corner sofa around the edges of your garden, which creates more space for cooking and a play area.
If you decide on a corner sofa, we recommend you find a water-resistant cover to protect the material from rain and snow.
Picnic Tables
Picnic tables combine both a seating and dining area, so they’re ideal for smaller gardens. You can fit six people at one table, which means you’ll save space and create a great entertaining environment.
Adding Plants
OK, so you might not be able to incorporate raised flower beds and have a wildflower meadow in your small garden, but you can still add some colourful plants to the mix. These solutions offer convenience, and they’re also incredibly cheap to implement.
Use Your Walls or Fences
A vertical wall or garden fence can be the perfect place to add some colourful plants to your garden, and many of our clients love the idea of a green wall. If you’d prefer to use potted plants, you can paint old tins or cans.
We love this idea because you can add colour to your garden by painting and accessorising your planters.
Buy a Plant Stand
Plant stands hold potted plants, but they don’t take up much space. They look similar to shoe racks or ingredient shelves, and you can paint or wood stain your plant stand to match the rest of your garden.
Because they’re light to move and flexible, you can store the plant stand in winter and won’t have to compromise on any space.
Lighting
Lighting is relatively flexible to install, but it can also make your garden look smaller. A firm favourite for many households is the classic LED fairy lights or candles in mason jars. Small spaces should always use lighting, but make sure it doesn’t overshadow your area.
Hang Mason Jars
If you have trees or plants, you can place lights in mason jars and hang them. Not only will this look incredible, but it means you won’t have to compromise any of your available space.
Use Ornamental Lighting
There are some stunning ornaments available, and many have built-in lighting systems, so you can set a theme for your garden and have a set of lights simultaneously. We particularly love animal lights, but if you shop around, you’ll be able to find a range of garden ornaments.
Alternatives to Ponds
Ponds are excellent if you want to turn your garden into a tranquil setting, and they also attract a lot of wildlife. However, ponds also take up a lot of space, so they’re not suitable for small gardens.
Instead, you can add a water feature, which will still attract wildlife but won’t take up your garden space.
Water Bowls
Water bowls are essentially smaller versions of ponds, and they make for a stunning ornamental feature. All you need to do is fill them with water, and you’re good to go! You can add some lily pads and stones to create an eye-catching feature for your garden.
Bird Baths
Birdbaths attract – yep, you guessed it – birds into your garden. If you love waking up to friendly chirps, you can add a feeder that will encourage the birds to make your back garden a permanent home.
Tin Pond
Even tiny gardens can incorporate a water feature. All you need is tin and some water. Add some lily pads and flowers to the water, and you’ll have a small area where you might even receive some visitors of the winged kind.
Storage
Every garden needs storage solutions, but if you don’t have space for a large shed, it can be challenging to find ways to store toys, furniture and gardening equipment.
Bench Chair
You can combine your seating with a storage area by buying a bench. All you need to do is add some cushions to the top, and you’ll be able to grab anything you need. An old toy chest will work well, and charity shops always have great deals on furniture.
Buy a Corner Shed
If you want to include a garden shed in your outdoor space, corner sheds take up a lot less room and won’t compromise your lawn area. You can also paint the shed to suit your style, but most garden centres will have various designs available.
The Takeaway
If you’d like some help designing your dream garden, please feel free to get in touch about our bespoke garden design services. Regardless of how small your outdoor space is, we can help you design a haven or contemporary garden that works for your needs.
With landscape design, it’s the small elements that make a beautiful bigger picture, so if you’re struggling for inspiration, our designers are on hand to help.
