Ways to Make a Small Garden Seem Bigger Expand your horizons—if not your square footage—with some small garden sleight of hand.
1.Divide and Conquer
It seems counter-productive, but dividing a small space into smaller areas based on function actually helps give a little yard some breathing room. This small yard features a welcoming pathway, an al fresco dining area, a vegetable garden and flowers for filling vases.
2.Embrace Elevation Changes
Delineate different sections of your outdoor space with different heights. You can keep the shift simple, like with a raised bed or raised wooden deck, or you can choose an elaborately terraced effort that gives kids an elevated play area that’s distinctly separate from other outdoor living areas.
3.Keep Scale in Mind
In a small garden, avoid using hardscape materials that are too large for the space. If these pavers were any bigger, they’d overpower the small yard. This same principle applies to structures, furnishings and even individual plants. Select trees, for instance, with tidy dimensions that complement the garden without overwhelming it.
4.Borrow a View
Small gardens typically lack gracious vistas; their views are more along the lines of short and sweet. Give your tiny garden a feeling of space by borrowing a view from another part of your yard, a neighbor’s yard, a nearby park—whatever is handy. Use a lattice-topped fence to give glimpses of what lies beyond the garden gate, but still maintain a sense of privacy.
5.Dress the Walls
Get creative with plantings and leave earth-bound beds behind. Invest in wall planters or a wooden wall trellis that supports simple planting boxes. You can jerry-rig your own planting system, or search for ideas from companies that sell balcony or deck planters.
6.Limit Lawn
Keep lawn area to a minimum in small-space gardens. This allows other areas to work harder, and it also saves you from investing intense effort into lawn maintenance. In small gardens, make sure planting beds feature easy-to-mow shapes and edges. Choose a low-maintenance turf that’s adapted to your region.
7.Plant Every Inch
In a small garden, you can’t afford to waste space. Create stepping stone paths that leave room for toe-tickling plantings. Select plants like Corsican mint or creeping thyme, and you’ll add the dimension of scent to your small garden with every step.
8.Choose Plants That Fit
Filling your small garden with colorful plants gives it a sense of limitless possibilities. Select shrubs and trees adapted to small spaces, like this Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), and you won’t have to replace plants frequently. Look for plants with descriptive words like fastigiate (meaning column-like), slow-growing or dwarf, and you’ll be on the right track. Avoid woody plants reputed to be colony-forming or fast-growing.
9.Go for Hard-Working Plants
Select plants that offer multi-season interest, like viburnum. Many viburnum shrubs boast spring flowers, summer fruits that attract birds and eye-catching fall color. Other groups of plants to consider include hydrangea, crabapple, evergreens and ornamental grasses.
10.Details Make a Difference
Invest in unusual containers or other artful touches to give your small garden a big sense of style. Choosing a signature color or planter, such as vintage wagons, and using it repeatedly throughout a small garden unifies the space and gives it a polished look.
11.Cater to the Senses
A small space seems larger the minute you add the sound of trickling water. Choose a small tabletop fountain, a wall fountain that doesn’t have a large footprint or a homemade water feature you build yourself. Trickling water fosters instant relaxation, beckons songbirds and helps disguise surrounding noises, which can easily distract in a small garden.
12.Always Consider Drainage
In a small garden, before you make any elevation changes, add raised beds or remove lawn, consider the impact on drainage. If you’re adding hard surfaces and terraces, it’s a good idea to consult with a professional landscaper to make sure you’re not creating drainage issues. Small gardens are notorious for needing well-planned drainage systems. If you work with a professional, you might be able to capture drainage and redirect it into garden areas.
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