With spring on its way, it’s time to get outside and enjoy the space you have, even if it’s a tiny balcony or very small garden. Don’t let size put you off – it’s easy to get creative and smaller plots mean less maintenance work. To help you get the most of your outdoor area, we’ve put together our top design ideas for small gardens, below. All you need now is a dry day to get started!
Introduce colour
Make your outdoor space more attractive with pops of colour. Add your favourite hues with colourful garden furniture or potted flowers. You can decide on a colour scheme, choosing flowers, plants and garden accessories that match your preferred palette.
Make your walled garden appear bigger and brighter with white-painted brickwork. If you love colour, create a feature wall and paint it your favourite shade. An on-trend vibrant pink would be a great background colour, contrasting perfectly with greenery, such as succulents and cacti.
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Create different levels
Varying levels can make your garden more visually interesting and help define clear areas to entertain, relax or plant foliage. For example, you could have a raised lawn or decking area with seating, or on a smaller scale, a tiered herb garden.
If space is tight, experiment with vertical gardening. Live walls look luscious and can hide fencing or walls you don’t like the look of. Alternatively, use hooks on a trellis, ladders or shelving to hold pots, tools and climbing plants. Remember to make use of the area under any windows – it’s a great spot to grow herbs and flowers.
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Choose clever seating
To fully enjoy your garden, find seating that works with it, not against it. A bench can be practical and stylish, but if it dominates your space then think about other options that could work instead. Raised plant bed walls or steps could double up as benches – invest in some outdoor cushions to keep these multipurpose areas comfy.
Half-sized tables and foldable or stackable chairs are all great space saving options. A hammock is also a fun, temporary way to transform your outdoor space while the sun shines.
Bring the inside, outside
If there isn’t much space for seating, create a bohemian style setup with rugs, cushions and soft furnishings from your sofa and living room. Fairy lights, candles and lanterns will make your space feel atmospheric and work well into the evening.
Hang a mirror in your garden or terrace, just as you’d hang one indoors, to create the illusion of more space and light. You could up-cycle an existing mirror, or choose one that will establish a design aesthetic you like, such as minimalist, English cottage, or boho chic.
