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Small back garden design


Small Garden Design Ideas | Garden Design

See how gardeners around the country have created wonderful gardens in small spaces

Small gardens have a lot more potential than you may realize. Whether dealing with a long narrow space behind a vintage home, a cramped backyard that lacks privacy, or a shabby garden at the rear of a brownstone the possibilities are endless. So don’t write off your 40-foot by 20-foot outdoor area just yet—with the right design, it could be an incredible garden.

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CONSIDER FUNCTIONALITY

Designer Karen Chapman says, "Neither beauty nor function needs to be limited by the size of your outdoor space, but it is important to prioritize your wish list in order to make every square inch count." She offers the following advice, suggestions, and tips:

Do you love to entertain family & friends?

Entertaining outdoors always seems so much more relaxed, both for the hosts and the guests, but how many people do you need to accommodate? Two for an intimate lunch? Eight for a sit-down dinner? Twelve or more for an informal BBQ?

Versatile elements that can satisfy more than one function are key in maximizing the potential of small spaces.

What do you want to grow?

Are you hoping to grow cut flowers, your favorite herbs, or a few vegetables? When space is limited, it is especially important to determine which of these are worth growing yourself, and which are better to purchase seasonally from your local farmer’s market. Focus on growing flowers and produce that are usually expensive, hard to find, have a short shelf life, or you use regularly.

Is in-ground planting space limited?

Container gardens provide a simple solution for limited in-ground growing; however, consideration should be given to their size and shape.

13 DESIGN TIPS FOR SMALL SPACES

Having considered the functionality of your space, here are a few designer tips to help you really maximize its potential and create the illusion of a much larger garden.

  1. Look for compact plants. Choose plants that won’t overwhelm the ground plane, but don’t be afraid to include moderate sized or columnar trees to achieve the appropriate scale.
  2. Think outside the box. What about vertical gardens? Railing planters? Hanging baskets for strawberries? (See an example of a living wall/vertical succulent garden below.)
  3. Build a strong foliage framework. Use interesting plants with colorful leaves before layering in flowering plants.
  4. Make every square inch count. Focus on high-value trees, shrubs, and perennials that offer multiple seasons of interest with attractive leaves, seasonal flowers, unique textures, colorful bark and/or great fall color.
  5. Create privacy. You may not have room for large evergreen trees and shrubs to create privacy. But, would a row of one of the many columnar varieties that provide height—without the width—work? If only seasonal screening is needed, perhaps narrow, columnar, deciduous trees or shrubs would be suitable? Or perhaps growing well-behaved climbers (e. g. jasmine or annual vines) on a vertical trellis would be the best solution.
  6. Do you really need a lawn? Does your lawn visually break up your space unnecessarily? Does it make more sense to extend the patio?
  7. Choose outdoor furniture with care. Forgo extra deep armchairs with wide armrests in favor of sleeker profiles.
  8. Add a water feature. Water features are always a great addition to a garden. While a pond and waterfall may not be realistic, a simple recirculating wall fountain or bubbling tabletop pot may be the answer.
  9. Create a sense of order. Clean lines bring an orderly feel to the garden. A clear rectilinear design can define spaces, while flowing organic curves can be used to soften awkward angles.
  10. Use the diagonal axis. A typical suburban garden is often wide but shallow. Looking straight across the back garden therefore emphasizes the shortest dimension. Alter the perspective by turning the patio, planting beds, and sight lines 45-degrees to line up with the diagonal axis, creating the illusion of a much larger space. (See an example of this design strategy below.)
  11. Keep the color palette simple. Two or three colors in varying shades, together with green, will be less visually cluttered than a jelly-bean-like explosion.
  12. Borrow views from outside your boundaries. Frame a distant tree, mountain, or unique architectural detail to give the illusion of greater depth.
  13. Add outdoor lighting. Create drama and mystery, while extending the use of the garden into the evening hours.

See planting diagrams and plant lists for small landscape designs from Proven Winners.

SMALL GARDEN INSPIRATION

A strong rectilinear design defines each element clearly, allowing enough space for an upper dining terrace, illuminated pathways, a narrow water feature and contemporary raised beds filled with an abundance of colorful foliage in a restrained palette. Photo: Darcy Daniels

See more of this garden: Going Beyond the Straight and Narrow

Landscape theater is created by the strategic placement of lighting fixtures while clean lines, carefully selected plants, and sleek furniture make the most of this small garden. Photo: Daniel Shea

See more of this garden: London Garden Calls Day and Night.

Retaining walls can double as occasional seating for guests to supplement the lightweight bistro set. Photo credit: Marion Brenner

See more of this garden: A Small Property Gets a Simple & Sustainable Garden

The backyard was transformed by installing a spa, custom lighting, and a lush vertical garden that clads an existing retaining wall. Resurfacing the narrow landing and adding a stairway made of 6-inch-thick sandstone slabs created two levels of outdoor living space. Photo by: Karl Seifert

See more of this garden: Small Backyard Makeover: Using Every Square Inch

Turning the paver patios 45 degrees to the house emphasizes the long diagonal axis, creating a more interesting layout and giving the illusion of greater depth. Design by Karen Chapman, Le-jardinet Designs

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Watch this short video to see how to maximize a small space for outdoor living.

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A Luxe Look for Less

Transform a Small Garden in 7 Simple Steps

See how an enclosed backyard oasis in Georgetown makes the most of limited space By Joanna Fortnam; Photographs by Roger Foley

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Georgetown, one of the oldest parts of Washington, D.C., where the town houses stand shoulder to shoulder on narrow streets, conceals many a green oasis. When garden designer William Morrow began making his enclosed backyard five years ago, he was instinctively drawn to the Old-World vocabulary of stone and gravel; lush, romantic planting; antique statuary; and weathered artifacts. But the space he had to deal with, at 1,686 square feet, was less than aristocratic. He adapted his vision accordingly.

Favorite Plants for Small Spaces

TREES

SHRUBS

PERENNIALS

ANNUALS

“I knew the space needed strong lines to contain the chaos of my perennial beds. I trial a lot of plants before using them in a client’s garden, so I’m constantly replanting. I also needed a space that was flexible and that would look good because I like to entertain a lot,” he says. Construction was “challenging,” but as Morrow explains, his approach breaks down into simple steps:

  1. Start with the house
    One of Morrow’s goals was an area for outdoor entertaining next to the house—but he did not want the existing architecture to dictate the design. His 1890s Victorian house, although pretty from the street, is just a “brick box” at the back. Morrow’s response was to cover it with wisteria, and, like a theatrical backdrop, the leafy curtain strikes the right note against the wrought-iron furniture and weathered stone on the patio.

  2. Design for flexibility
    Morrow’s constantly changing lineup of perennials could prove distracting. To counteract this he designed a layout with a strongly defined hardscape in stone and gravel and a backbone of permanent plants that provides all-year interest.

  3. Make the walls go away
    A favorite trick Morrow came across for disguising a limited space was the “disappearing boundary.” Wooden board fences 7 feet high enclose the garden on three sides; to make them recede from view he painted them high-gloss black. Clients always refuse to believe this is a good idea until they visit the garden, then they grasp how effective it is. Not seeing is believing.

  4. Be ruthless
    The lawn was briskly shown the door. “I don’t find lawns practical in a small urban garden,” says Morrow. “The amount of time, energy, chemicals and machinery it takes to keep a lawn looking nice would reap far more eye candy invested in a luscious perennial bed or even in an Edward Scissorhands topiary garden.”

  5. Wrong tree, wrong place
    “I had to remove three large Magnolia grandiflora. It nearly killed me,” confesses Morrow. “They should have never been planted there to begin with. Southern magnolias are wonderful trees from a distance, but you don’t want to live under one. I left a fourth that was far enough from the house to work into the design.”

  6. Be decorative
    Having survived the painful but necessary surgery to achieve a workable layout, Morrow turned to furnishings. "Iron furniture is a good choice for small gardens because visually it is light and airy,” he explains.

  7. Inject variety
    Seasonal pots play an important role in this garden. Morrow uses single specimen plants in smaller pots (less than 18 inches in diameter) and exuberant mixtures of annuals and summer exotics (bananas, palms, agaves and coleus) in larger ones. In the winter, evergreen shrubs take over the containers.

See more great plants for small gardens.

Small garden: practical backyard design

Growing a beautiful garden in one season is unrealistic. But, if you correctly approach its arrangement, then after a while you will be able to admire the beauty of nature and spend warm days and evenings in a colorful corner, even if it is compact and very small. We have prepared tips for arranging a small area, observing all the rules and the most common wishes.

Spatial thinking

There is an opinion that a small front garden is easier to arrange. But it's not. In fact, a spacious garden, even in not very good condition, looks good, but with a small one, the opposite is true - planning flaws and design mistakes are immediately noticeable. Therefore, before you start planning and designing your garden, decide how many functional areas you need and try to imagine how and in what location you will decorate them.

Care question

At the planning stage, you also need to decide how much time and how often you are willing to devote to tending the garden. The choice of all elements directly depends on this. If you want a backyard garden that doesn't require a lot of time and effort, make the most of the space for gravel paths and fills. And if you can’t imagine the design of the backyard without bright flowers, beautiful shrubs and like to work with the earth, then prepare a spacious place for planting plants. nine0013

Choosing the style of backyard garden design

A lot depends on the right style, so when considering the design of the garden, it is important to decide on the direction in its design.

. Rectangular, corner or round space is decorated with retaining walls, which are decorated with lattices entwined with flowering or green plants. Having built such a patio, you will save on the construction of a full-fledged gazebo and make the most of the free space. nine0036

  • Decorative elements
    Well-chosen decorative elements attract attention and thus distract from the small size of the site. And this is the main task of design in this case. Original sculptures, sundial, arches, drinking bowls and birdhouses, plants - they can be combined in an original way and create your own unique garden even on a few square meters.

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    Using a refined palette of quality materials set within a striking and elegant design, the space provides a restful and sophisticated urban garden for a professional couple to be enjoyed both in the daytime and after dark . The use of corten is complimented by the bold treatment of black in the decking, bespoke screen and pergola.

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    Modern walkway design with concrete pavers and La Paz pebbles
    Fresh design idea: a small, drought-tolerant modernist backyard garden with midday shade - great interior photo

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    Design Idea: Small solar plant wall in the backyard in a modern style with stone paving and good lighting

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    Old barren space where a playground once stood is transformed into a circular patio with a fire pit in the center . nine0013 Fresh design idea: small sunny, autumn lot and backyard garden in modern style with good lighting, paving slabs and fire pit - great interior photo

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    An inner city oasis with enchanting planting using a tapestry of textures, shades of green and architectural forms to evoke the tropics of Australia.

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