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Landscape design ideas for small spaces


14 Small Yard Landscaping Ideas to Impress

Many of today's homes (especially condos and townhouses) often have little or no yard space at all. Fear not. Here are 14 small yard landscaping ideas that will give your space serious style!

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Leave Some Space

When considering landscaping ideas for a small yard, remember to leave space. It’s easy to overcrowd things and inadvertently create a claustrophobic effect. Here, a seating area has a clear view to the garden, courtesy of a small patch of grass and some unobstructed hardscaping.

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Del Boy/Shutterstock

Layered Landscape

An easy backyard idea for small yards is to create a layered landscape – just like in nature. Think of a forest with low groundcovers, ferns, shade-tolerant understory shrubs and trees, and the tall overhead trees. You can do the same thing with your small yard landscaping! Use things like groundcovers, bulbs and crevice plants to create a beautiful layered landscape, while maximizing your flower bed space!

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Boris Ryaposov/Shutterstock

Walls and Fences

Sure, you want your small yard landscaping to include privacy, so why not utilize surrounding structures like walls and fences?For this small yard idea, vines are the perfect answer – just be sure to pick one that’s not invasive or a garden thug. Check with your local cooperative extension service for recommendations for your area.

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Vertical Gardens

A popular trend in small yard ideas is to garden vertically. There are many off-the-shelf products that allow you to grow plants vertically, such as the wall planters seen here. Or you can create something yourself. Either way it creates gardening space out of thin air.

10 balcony garden ideas you can use.

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Wutthichai Phosri/Shutterstock

Hanging Planters

Speaking of backyard ideas for small yards, here’s a clever way to maximize space with DIY hanging planters made from plastic bottles. Of course, if the style doesn’t suit you, there are plenty of preplanted hanging baskets at the garden center and grocery store.

See some pretty hanging basket ideas.

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Window Boxes

A more traditional way of maximizing gardening space is with window boxes. Naturally, you can attach them beneath your windows. But other small yard ideas include placing them on a porch, around the perimeter of a patio, or hanging from a deck railing.

See our DIY plans for a custom 3-season planter.

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Dwarf Plants

Growers are continually introducing new cultivars with special characteristics. One of those is a dwarf habit. When considering landscaping ideas, you can grow a pine that matures at 1 foot or 80 feet. When you choose the former, you end up with enough space to add companion plants.

Learn about space-saving trees for today’s smaller yards.

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Columnar Plants

While you’re considering size and growth characteristics, think about habit as well. Columnar plants, such as this upright pear cultivar, grow straight up. There’s more room to the side, and more light at the bottom for a greater variety of plants. And yet you still get the blooms and the fruit. Win-win!

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ESB Essentials/Shutterstock

Trailing Plants

Here’s another shape that will help when looking for landscaping ideas for a small yard. You can run trailing plants down the side of a planter, as seen here, or let them trail from the top of a wall. Either way maximizes space and softens a hard surface to help it blend into the landscape.

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Crevice Plants

Crevices are ubiquitous to most gardens, so you might as well make use of them. Sedum and other succulents such as hens-and-chicks (Sempervivum) are perfect for these spots, which are often on the lean and dry side. They make the space prettier and the hard surfaces less imposing.

See our tips for planting succulents outdoors.

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Narrow Spots

Along with crevices, most gardens have narrow strips that lack soil and moisture. Rather than fighting the conditions, work with them. One of the small yard ideas you can implement is to plant some tough, vining groundcovers and let them sprawl over the area. Use ivy in shady areas, succulents in sunny spots. A mulch of gravel is a nice low-maintenance addition that keeps plant foliage clean.

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Del Boy/Shutterstock

Containers

Let’s not forget containers when thinking about small yard landscaping. They’re more popular than ever—and not just because they maximize gardening space. Containers add greatly to a garden’s character. They allow you to show off your favorite plants. And if you coordinate their color and arrange them in odd numbers, you create a dashing focal point.

Meet some of the best plants for container gardening.

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Lawn Substitute

As you saw earlier, a small lawn can be helpful to a small-space garden because it opens up the area and makes it feel less claustrophobic. Well, if you’re not going to be walking on the lawn all the time, you might consider substituting a groundcover. You not only avoid mowing, you also integrate the area into the landscape. With a groundcover, your lawn becomes the garden.

Learn about other lawn alternatives.

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Bonsai and Miniature Gardens

The smallest yard in the world has room for a garden when the plants are miniaturized. Examples include bonsai, miniature fairy gardens, and terrariums. Although usually kept indoors in cold climates, they can vacation outside for the summer in a protected location where they’re not exposed to too much direct sunlight.

See some breathtaking examples of fairy gardens.

Originally Published: April 23, 2019

Luke Miller

Luke Miller is an award-winning garden editor with 25 years' experience in horticultural communications, including editing a national magazine and creating print and online gardening content for a national retailer. He grew up across the street from a park arboretum and has a lifelong passion for gardening in general and trees in particular. In addition to his journalism degree, he has studied horticulture and is a Master Gardener.

Landscape Design Ideas for Small Spaces

Over the years, houses in Colorado Springs have continued to be built larger and larger, and in many areas, the lots sizes have become smaller and smaller. Many master-planned communities, by offering lots of open spaces and parks in place of larger lots, have created even smaller yard spaces. Other times, challenging terrain can leave you with a smaller yard than you might be used to. A smaller yard doesn’t need to be a bad thing. Here are a few ideas to make the most out your landscape in a small space.


Terraced retaining walls create room for ample patio space and provide attractive planting beds in this small space.

Make the Most of Your Space

A surefire way to make the most of your small space is to consider the way you would like to enjoy your outdoor space. A generous patio can be incorporated into a small space and will provide an environment you’ll enjoy for years to come. 


This small back yard in Cordera doesn’t sacrifice anything, plenty of patio space, a cedar pergola, a built in gas fire pit, and seat wall offer  year round outdoor enjoyment .

Add a focal point

Adding a focal point that makes a powerful architectural statement can help overcome a small space. A pergola or fire feature can serve as  a stunning focal point. They also create a warm and welcoming area for outdoor entertaining. View more outdoor living ideas.


This small space in the Broadmoor uses a number of little accents to create a very enjoyable small garden space.

Add Some Accents:

You don’t always need a powerful focal point, sometimes adding a few smaller accents can add a nice depth and variety to a smaller outdoor space. Garden paths, planting pots, creek beds, benches, small water features or fountains, and even outdoor art pieces can serve nicely to break up smaller spaces.


Dense plantings create privacy around this cozy outdoor living space located in Monument.

Plant for Your Space

There are a number of ways choosing the right plant can help your little outdoor space feel like it’s just the right fit. One way is to use plantings for screening, by not staring directly at your neighbor’s home, you’ll feel like the space is less confining. Another way to help your tiny space is to select the right plants for the right space. There are a number of trees and shrubs that have dense, upright growth habits that will allow you to create some height in even the smallest of spaces without the fear of one day having them overgrow the space or growing into your home. Many popular Front Range plantings, including Lilacs, Dogwood, and Spruce are available in dwarf cultivars as well.

Having a smaller yard doesn’t mean you can’t have a wonderful backyard. With proper planning and design, you can ensure your landscape will have a big impact you’ll be able to enjoy for years, regardless of space.   Talking to one of our designers is a great way to ensure you’re making the most of your smaller outdoor space. Contact us today to get in touch with a designer.

10 simple ideas that will turn your garden into a masterpiece of landscape design

A wonderful collection of various conifers can become a hallmark of your garden. Photo: living4media/Fotodom.ru; ShutterStock/Fotodom.ru

To renew your garden, you don't have to make drastic changes, you can get by with a little bloodshed - correctly place accents that emphasize the uniqueness and uniqueness of your site. Such an important mission can be entrusted to garden structures, original lamps, unusual garden furniture, thoughtful group plantings, or even separate corners like a rock garden or a moss garden. And of course -
spectacular plants: flowering perennials, trees with an unusual crown shape and bright shrubs.

On the "brutal" section of the garden, decorated with stones, bright flowers are an effective accent. Photo: living4media/Fotodom.ru; ShutterStock/Fotodom.ru

The role of accents is not only to draw attention to the garden. Bright details can also solve other important problems of site design: zoning the space, adding color nuances, emphasizing the originality of the relief and interesting architectural solutions. And successfully mask the flaws! nine0003

Green garden sculptures are the result of years of hard work. But if you're patient enough, it's worth a try! Photo: ShutterStock/Fotodom.ru

Making garden accents is an incredibly fun game that allows you to express your individuality and realize your creative fantasies.

Garden accents should be clearly visible and not necessarily proportionate to the area being decorated. But do not get carried away by their number.

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The main advantage of accents is variety: you can change them and arrange them in new ways. Photo: living4media/Fotodom.ru

Remember, the main thing is a good idea; of course, “inventing” it is more difficult than following the canons, but in this case, you create the canons! It’s easy to feel “your theme”: we all subconsciously gravitate towards certain “landscapes”, you just need to catch your own mood and “decorate” it with plants and objects.

When placing accents in the garden, follow the rule: they will be more appropriate where they are most visible. Photo: living4media/Fotodom.ru; ShutterStock/Fotodom.ru

No matter how large or small the site should be, there should not be more than four or five, but preferably one or three accents. Moreover, the size of these elements should not be proportional to the size of the plot: it is more appropriate to create a large accent on a very small area, otherwise the garden will look “flat”. And in the overwhelming majority of cases, the accent is quite noticeable, and not a miniature detail. Place the accent where it will stand out. For example, against the background of a gazebo or flower garden, on the border of the garden area or on the front lawn, which is visible from all points of the garden. nine0003

Photo: ShutterStock/Fotodom.ru

Exhibits of the garden "opening day" - mosses and succulents. Enclose them in beautiful frames, and they will resemble the works of great painters. Photo: ShutterStock/Fotodom.ru

There are three main principles for this: similarity, contrast and expressiveness. For example, using similarity, you can make a beautiful bend of the path more expressive by duplicating it with a chain of garden lamps. Or emphasize the round shape of the flower garden by including a spherical thuja in addition to flowers. As for the contrast, shade the textured, “monumental” plant with plantings of graceful cereals. Well, an expressive, original large container with flowers will emphasize any part of the garden. nine0003

Stylistic dominants are very different. The main thing is to stick to one direction.

A mirror imitating a small window breaks through the plane of the wall, complicating the space. Photo: living4media/Fotodom.ru; ShutterStock/Fotodom.ru

Variants of plant accents

1. Single plant

The design of the garden is favorably emphasized by a beautiful conifer, a curly trimmed shrub, an interestingly shaped tree - weeping birch or goat willow. Even the common castor bean, which is often called the baobab near Moscow, is suitable for this role. nine0003

Photo: living4media/Fotodom.ru; ShutterStock/Fotodom.ru

Any plant is suitable for the role of an accent, if it differs in originality - it has a non-standard crown shape, spectacular shape or color of the leaves. Sometimes there are unexpected, even curious options - for example, an ordinary plantain, resembling a hosta in size, can act as an accent if you choose the right place for it.

Photo: living4media/Fotodom.ru; ShutterStock/Fotodom.ru

2. Group plantings

Nearly black pansy flower bed with mirror ball companion; groundcover rose bush with bright red flowers against the background of a stone obelisk... All these compositions can make a garden at least unusual. Another option: create a flower bed-basket of green-flowered gladioli or a "flower garden" where lettuces or ornamental cabbage live. To draw attention to the flower arrangement, tie it with a satin ribbon.

Plants with colorful foliage can be used as accents. Or large clay pots. In this case, they are an integral part of a mini-waterfall. Photo: living4media/Fotodom.ru; ShutterStock/Fotodom.ru

An accent in the form of a garden of mosses or stones, a small rock garden will not go unnoticed.

3. Garden collection

Enthusiastic flower growers who do not recognize sculptures or figurines on their plot should create a “fashion collection”. Choose what you like: alpine plants, miniature conifers, giant dahlias or rare varieties of tulips, and form spectacular flower beds out of them. This will be your main theme in the garden.

Another option is to dedicate your garden to a particular plant. For example, roses: cover the gazebo and garden mesh screen with climbing roses, plant miniature and ground cover varieties on the alpine hill, and decorate the front part of the plot with bush ones. An appropriate accent for the rock garden will be a magnificent standard rose, the tenderness of which will be shaded by a clearing of white gravel. The role of sculptures can be played by individual trees and shrubs. nine0003

Any plant that has a spectacular crown, color or shape of leaves and flowers can become a real decoration of your garden. Photo: living4media/Fotodom.ru; ShutterStock/Fotodom.ru

7 more ideas for garden accents

  1. Beautiful large stones, boulders are best - a stylish accent, especially if they have an interesting shape and unusual color. Such "cobblestones" can be varnished to create a "wet" effect, or they can be painted and painted.
    2. nine0070 The accent can be an originally designed withered tree or an unusual man-made structure - for example, a table-well.
  2. A decorative gate can be crafted from an old sewing machine trellis.
  3. Floral sundial is a fashionable novelty that will be out of competition.
  4. A giant container in the form of an ordinary terracotta pot impresses with a combination of a familiar shape but an unusual size.
    5. nine0070 An example of a small accent is a beautiful bird feeder.
  5. From sea pebbles you can build small three-dimensional sculptures: an apple, a fungus and even a “toy” castle – you will get a real work of art!

A pyramid of carefully stacked stones is a frequent attribute of rocky beaches. In the garden, this element will also be appropriate. Photo: living4media/Fotodom.ru; ShutterStock/Fotodom.ru

Any woman knows how important the right jewelry is for a particular outfit. They can make a little black dress (and by extension you) irresistible or kill all its elegance. The role of accents in your garden is also great: a plastic gnome paired with a frog in front of a luxurious flower bed will destroy all botanical delights and carefully selected colors. If you love your garden, treat it with respect - emphasize the results of your work with beautiful and original accents. There are many possibilities and techniques for this, choose the most suitable for you. nine0003

Svetlana Marinicheva

Editor-in-Chief of the magazine “My Beautiful Garden”

Prepared by

Olga Voronova

Landscaping of a small area: techniques for expanding space To create comfort in crowded conditions, designers have come up with many ways.

How to successfully arrange the landscape design of a small area in detail in the text of the article. nine0003

To create a landscape design for a small area, there are certain rules for visually increasing the space

For any urban dweller, a country house is a rest from the hustle and bustle of cities, unity with nature, relaxation, peace. To create a “piece of paradise” for yourself and your family, you will have to try very hard. When the dacha is small, then it will take a little money and time to improve it. She will be able to please the owners anyway.

Individual elements can visually limit the area of ​​the garden, they will have to be hidden or removed

Content

  • 1 Zoning of the site
  • 2 three main rules
  • 3 Techniques for visual expansion of the area of ​​the site
  • 4 Practical recommendations for landscape design
  • 5 Dressing area
  • 6 We care for the lawn and heron
    • 9007 9 Feng Shui and home garden
  • 8 Video: how to arrange a garden of 6 acres
  • 9 Photo: 50 ideas for designing a small plot
    • 9. 1 See also

Site zoning

When zoning a small area, you need to think carefully about where and which zones to place. Most of the space is usually allocated for a garden, a vegetable garden. Three times less will be needed for a recreation area, flower beds, and everything else - a house, outbuildings. This ratio allows you to harmoniously, functionally place everything. Instead of a garden, some make a small pond with green lawns around.

Lot 9 Zoning Sketches0003

What you need to consider when developing a plan with your own hands.

  • Shape. It is easier to work with a square or oval platform than with an irregular one.
  • Micro-relief. A flat area is more convenient than with a large slope, many irregularities.
  • Soil composition. Fertile soft soil is ideal for plants, good for building. The rocky composition of the earth will cause some difficulties.
  • Groundwater. The foundation is laid at a deep location of the waters; this also matters for planting trees. nine0071
  • Define cardinal directions in relation to parcel orientation.

To divide the territory into zones, it is better to use low partitions made of natural stone

Japanese-style small garden design is very popular. In such a garden, trees, figurines, ponds, rock gardens, stones, etc. will be miniature, then the space of the site will seem large. An abundance of moss, ground cover plants, small flowers will produce the same effect.

A dwarf tree, a tiny arbor and stones - why not a "piece" of Japan in the center of a green lawn

See alsoCreating a flower garden is a form of creative self-expression

Three basic rules

There are three rules to follow in landscaping a limited-sized dacha:

  1. Removing artificial walls. No "deaf" high fences - they will make the space very cramped. Instead of a large dense fence, you should choose a fence made of a low picket fence, a chain-link mesh, a wattle fence, along which climbing plants are planted.
  2. Release the center. Large buildings, tall decorations, trees should be placed at the edges. In the middle of the site, you can dig a pond, make a smooth green lawn. nine0071
  3. We create an accent point, a "highlight" of the site. It can be a luxurious flower bed, mostly with light flowers, a small illuminated fountain, a platform with a stone hearth, a bridge over a stream or the house itself.

A vertical support for a climbing plant covered with greenery or flowers creates perspective and space becomes more spacious

Illusion of scale - all the paths leading to the center of the garden pass through tall plants, leaving only a corner to relax

Visual increase in space can be achieved with multi-level platforms

Wrought iron fence is originally combined with the same benches, table, barbecue. If for some reason the fence has to be made concrete, it is decorated with convex mirrors - visually it will seem that there is twice as much space in the yard as it actually is. Hanging flower beds-pockets are placed on a high fence, in which purslane, begonia, alyssum, fuchsia or even strawberries, lettuce, parsley grow. nine0003

See alsoCountry design with your own hands from improvised materials

The limited space of the cottage is its disadvantage, which is difficult to hide. But you can emphasize the dignity of this place by adding bright details. A colorful playground, homemade benches, hand-painted wooden sculptures, an unusual garden.

It seems that behind the opening in the wall there is a garden immersed in greenery. This is actually a decorative poster that creates the illusion of deceit

Let's use the garden path. It should be made sinuous so that the distance between objects seems to be as large as possible. The paths can be made of stones, gravel, brick remnants, concrete tiles laid directly on the lawn grass. The location of the arch anywhere in the dacha will create the impression that there is another garden on the other side of it.

Winding paths help create the illusion of a large garden

Even a small pond will contribute to the optical effect. Calm water like a mirror reflects clouds and nearby objects - the garden seems much larger than it actually is

An artificial pond with clear water, a waterfall will give the territory "airiness". If several large mirrors are placed above the pond in the corner of the fence, they will not only emphasize the uniqueness of the space, but visually make the site much more spacious. The path leading "to the mirror" set at an angle creates the illusion that the garden is much larger than it seems.

The stream in the stones attracts the eye, diverting from the size of the garden

Mirrors should not be hung too high to prevent birds crashing into them. It should be taken into account how the sun's rays fall on it - the reflected light should not hurt the eyes. It is desirable that something beautiful is reflected in the mirror - when placed opposite the flower bed, the effect of an endless flower field will be created. nine0003

Garden furniture should not seem bulky, preferably portable, light colors. Proper lighting of the resting place will visually give it extra space. Buildings, statues, trellises are also recommended to be made white or silver.

Use mixed buildings. The glazed part of this hozblok is suitable for a mini-greenhouse, and in the house there is a place to store garden tools

See alsoDesign of a gazebo in landscape design of different styles

Landscaping practical advice

For landscaping a summer cottage of small size, vertical flower beds are suitable - in the form of a tower, a pyramid. Various plants can be planted in wooden barrels, hemp, floor vases can be decorated with car tires painted in different colors.

As a distracting accent, the standard rose is excellent, during the flowering period it is simply impossible to take your eyes off it

Original decorative elements perfectly distract from the modest size of the plot

To visually enlarge the summer cottage with their own hands, designers recommend:

  1. Remove all unnecessary. Buildings, if possible, should be placed in the corners, fences should be made low and transparent. Plant trees along the fence so that they cover the fence with their crowns, without cluttering up the interior space of the site.
  2. Use pond, mirror. A pond near one of the walls, a huge mirror above it will significantly expand the space, making it brighter.
    3. nine0070 Various shades. Cold colors visually remove objects, warm colors bring them closer. During the day, the color solution is realized with the help of flowering plants, and at night - well-chosen lighting.
  3. Apply screens. They are created for zoning the territory, from small arches, trellises with ornamental and vegetable plants, which is especially convenient when the cottage is located on a hillside.
  4. Layered design. The garden, located on several levels, seems large and varied. You can create cascades by placing tall plants along the walls, low plants closer to the center of the site. Hanging flowerpots will decorate the resting place well. Arches and gazebos entwined with grapes look great. nine0071
  5. Extension of the garden "into the depths". This effect is achieved with the help of volumetric painting of buildings, fences, and the arrangement of trees.

A mini birch alley will create a spatial perspective and add depth to the space

Pergola - one of the options for vertical gardening of the site

If the owner of the site has the skills of an artist, and the fence is concrete and gray, then a whole huge picture can be depicted on it. For example, a seashore, the edge of a forest, a sunset, a summer flowering field. nine0003

See alsoCreating a harmonious garden design

Getting creative with your garden design will help a lot when it comes to choosing between vegetable plants and a flower bed. Well-fertilized and well-groomed beds in appearance are in no way inferior to decorative flower beds. Colored lettuce leaves, even rows of carrots, asparagus beans in the background along the fence. Onions and garlic are easy to pair with flowers that will bloom much later. nine0003

Beautiful flower bed with densely planted flowers

Bed-beds are best located in the warmest, sunniest place. You can ennoble them with improvised materials - colored plastic bottles, stones, bricks, remnants of construction waste. Many flowering plants are planted closer to autumn, when most of the crop has already been harvested. Ipomoea, marigolds, daisies, pansies are suitable. Gladiolus, alpine forget-me-not, petunia, asters, crocuses look good.

An island with flowers in the center of the lawn breaks up the space, blocking the view, and the garden is no longer visible through and through at a glance

The flower garden can be given any shape, but simple geometric shapes are preferred to save space. If the roof of the house or one of the buildings is flat, strong, then a flower bed can be made there. It is only important to choose drought-resistant, light-loving plants. A floating flower garden is a great idea. It is located on a "raft" made of foam, can be anchored to the bottom.

We take care of the lawn and greenery

If the flower beds are made a little “raised” above the ground, surrounding them with plank or stone sides and adding soil, then they will be able to warm up more by the sun, it is better to bloom and bear fruit. Caring for them will be simplified - it will be possible to approach for watering and processing without dirt.
Watering lawns is carried out using a diffuser or an ordinary watering can. Timely mowing of the lawn and bushes must be done - an overgrown garden gives the impression of an abandoned one. Combing, aeration, pest control, lawn grass fertilization are also desirable. nine0003

Every garden plot needs a lawn, even the smallest one

Trees and garden beds need to be fertilized periodically and perennial flowers need to be replanted. Pruning trees, periodically cleaning fallen leaves and rotting fruits, allows them not to get sick.

If the beds, then only beautiful ones

If mirrors are installed in the yard, then it must be taken into account that the sunlight reflected from them, falling on especially delicate plants, can cause them to burn. For the winter, plants that are not frost-resistant should be covered with a spruce forest or special material. nine0003

See alsoDecoration of the garden plot: the secrets of arrangement with affordable means

Ancient Chinese culture believes that in order to create a harmonious atmosphere in a country house, it is necessary that the Qi energy flow freely. This is carried out when the balance of the five elements is achieved - fire, water, earth, wood, metal. The Feng Shui landscape radiates the purest energy that fills a person.

Place a couple of plants in a calm shade, such as purple, on opposite sides of the plot. Colored bushes echo each other and visually enlarge the space

Color plays an important role in the design of a small garden. Some shades give warmth, others create a feeling of coolness

The color scheme of the space is of great importance in such improvement. White and shades of purple soothe, heal people. Red and yellow enhance energy, increase efficiency. It is important not to overload the garden and flower beds with an abundance of colors.

Yin energy colors - blue, purple, black, white. Yang colors include yellow, red and orange. If the balance of Yin and Yang is maintained, then in such a wonderful space a person truly relaxes. nine0003

There should be few shrubs, but their colors should be chosen so that the composition will delight with beauty all summer

All plantings and buildings are also made on the basis of a harmonious combination of the five elements. High-quality furniture, ponds, beautiful plants, sculptures, mirror mosaics on fences, proper care of the garden will help maintain a balance of energy and well-being in a country house.

Garden design should look like a single composition, not a collection of random elements

In the design of a small area, it is important to observe moderation without cluttering it excessively, keeping all the elements in the same style.

Learn more