How to Get the Most Out Of Your Small Garden
A small garden can still be a lovely place to spend time, whether you want somewhere to eat outside, grow a few vegetables or sit with a cup of tea. You don’t need room for a huge lawn and several seating areas to create an outdoor space you enjoy using.
The trick is to work out what matters most to you, then give those things enough room. Trying to squeeze in every garden idea you’ve saved on Pinterest can leave even a fairly generous space feeling crowded!
With a little planning, thoughtful planting and furniture that earns its place, you can make a compact garden feel welcoming and much easier to use.
Start with how you want to use your garden
Before buying plants or ordering furniture, think about what you actually want to do outside. Is eating together the priority? Do you need somewhere for your children to play? Or would you rather have a quiet corner surrounded by greenery?
Choose two or three priorities and plan around them. Measure the space, including doorways and access routes, and leave enough room to move comfortably around furniture when it is in use.
Spend some time watching where the sun falls, too. A small garden isn’t necessarily sunny, particularly if buildings or fences cast shade. Understanding your conditions will help you put seating and plants in the right places.
If the space needs a general refresh first, these ideas for transforming your garden are a useful starting point.
Choose furniture that fits comfortably
An oversized dining set can quickly take over a small patio. Before buying, check the dimensions with the chairs pulled out, rather than only measuring the table itself.
A bistro set may be enough for morning coffee, while a folding table gives you more flexibility when friends visit. Stackable chairs are useful if you have somewhere to store them.
Furniture with more than one purpose can help, too. A storage bench provides seating and somewhere to tuck away outdoor toys or gardening bits. Just check whether it is weatherproof before leaving cushions inside.
Avoid filling every available corner. A little clear space makes the garden easier to move around and gives you somewhere to put an extra chair when you need one.
Make use of walls and fences
When planting space is limited, look upwards. A climber trained along a trellis can soften a plain fence without taking up the width of a large shrub.
Choose a plant that suits the light, soil and available space, and check its eventual size before buying. Some climbers become much larger and heavier than you might expect.
Wall planters and hanging baskets can also add greenery, provided their fixings can safely support the weight of wet compost and mature plants. Keep them within easy reach for watering and maintenance.
The RHS has some helpful planting ideas for small spaces, including ways to use vertical surfaces and different plant heights.
Use fewer, larger containers
Lots of tiny pots can make a patio feel cluttered and create more watering jobs. A few generously sized containers often look more cohesive and give plants more room to grow.
Group pots where they won’t narrow a path, and vary their height for a more interesting display. Repeating a colour or material helps the arrangement feel connected.
Choose containers with drainage holes and use compost suited to what you are growing. The RHS guide to growing plants in containers is useful if you’re unsure where to start.
You can reuse suitable containers, too, but make sure they are sturdy, clean and deep enough for the roots. Small food tubs are often more useful for starting seedlings than housing mature plants.
Grow a few things you love to eat
You don’t need a large vegetable patch to enjoy picking something for dinner. A pot of herbs near the kitchen door, a container of salad leaves or a few strawberry plants can be a satisfying place to begin.
Choose crops you regularly eat and give them the space they need. Packing more plants into a container won’t necessarily mean a better harvest.
A compact raised bed can work well if you have a suitable spot, but it should be narrow enough to reach into without stepping on the soil. Remember that the frame itself takes up space, so a container or an existing border may be a better option in a tiny garden.
For help choosing suitable crops and pots, see the RHS advice on growing vegetables in containers.
Choose plants for more than one season
In a small garden, it helps if plants offer more than a brief burst of flowers. Look for a mix of foliage, seasonal blooms and plants with interesting shapes.
A few evergreen plants can provide structure, with bulbs and flowering perennials adding changes through the year. Check mature heights and spreads so today’s neat purchase doesn’t become tomorrow’s overcrowded border.
Repeat a few plants or colours to bring the space together. You don’t need a strict colour scheme, but buying one of everything can make a small planting area feel rather busy.
You’ll find more inspiration in these tips for a garden that looks good all year round.
Add height without adding unnecessary steps
Different plant heights can give a flat garden depth and interest. Combine low planting with upright stems, a taller shrub or a carefully chosen small tree.
Keep taller plants where they won’t overwhelm seating or block the light you want to keep. An open trellis can suggest a separate corner without dividing the garden with a solid barrier.
There is no need to build steps simply to create interest. Keeping routes level can make a compact space easier to use with a pushchair, wheelchair or garden trolley.
Create privacy where you need it
Rather than screening the whole garden, focus on the spot where you most want to feel comfortable, such as your dining area or favourite chair.
A trellis with suitable planting or a well-positioned shrub may be enough to soften an overlooking view. Test the position from your seat before committing.
Consider how much shade the screening will create and how much space plants will eventually need. If you’re attaching anything to a shared boundary, check ownership and discuss it with your neighbour first.
Give the garden one focal point
A small garden doesn’t need lots of ornaments to feel interesting. One well-placed feature can give your eye somewhere to settle.
That might be a handsome pot, a birdbath or a favourite plant seen from the kitchen window. Try positioning it slightly off-centre or at the end of a view through the planting.
Before buying anything new, move an existing pot or chair around. Sometimes changing the arrangement is enough to make the garden feel different.
Make room for wildlife and water
Even a compact outdoor space can offer food, shelter and water for wildlife. Flowering plants, an undisturbed leafy corner and a shallow dish of fresh water are simple places to start.
If you’d love a pond, size needn’t rule it out. A suitable watertight container can become a small wildlife pond, with planting and access routes that help creatures get in and out. Follow the RHS guide to making a wildlife container pond, and choose a safe arrangement for your household, especially if young children visit.
A small recirculating fountain is another option if you mainly want the sound of water. Think about cleaning, power and maintenance before choosing one.
For more wildlife-friendly ideas, read how to prepare your garden for hedgehog season.
Decide whether you need a lawn
There is no rule that says a garden must have grass. If a tiny lawn is awkward to maintain and rarely used, you may prefer a seating area surrounded by generous planting.
Equally, if your family enjoys using the lawn, keep it and make the layout work around it. A simple shape with accessible edges will usually be easier to mow than narrow strips between obstacles.
If your garden is paved, you can bring in greenery with containers and borders rather than covering the surface with artificial grass. Make drainage part of any plans to change the ground surface.
Add the finishing touches gradually
Once the layout works, a few comfortable touches can make your garden more inviting. Outdoor cushions, a throw brought out on cooler evenings and subtle lighting around a seating area may be all you need.
Keep lighting gentle and direct it towards the area you use, rather than illuminating the whole garden throughout the night. Store soft furnishings somewhere dry when they aren’t needed.
Add things slowly and live with each change before making the next one. It’s much easier to see what a small space needs when you haven’t filled it all at once.
Making the most of a small garden is about creating somewhere that suits your life. A comfortable seat, plants you enjoy and room to move around can make even a modest outdoor space somewhere you look forward to spending time.
Start with the part that frustrates you most, whether that’s awkward furniture, too many pots or a lack of privacy. One thoughtful change can make a surprisingly big difference.
