17 Innovative Small Garden Tips

Written by - October 10, 2024 - Balcony Gardening, Outdoor Gardening

With the right planning, small gardens have the potential to feel spacious and elegant.

The limited space allows you to concentrate on the features that you admire most and create a garden that truly reflects your personality and style. With thoughtful planning, even the tiniest plot can be transformed into a delightful oasis, full of character.

In this article, we’ll show you 17 ways that you can transform your small garden into an outdoor paradise. So let’s get started!

Vertical Planters

When your floor space is tight, think vertical! Wall-mounted planters are perfect for growing herbs, succulents, flowers, and even vegetables without taking up valuable ground space. They add depth to your tiny garden, making you feel enclosed in your space while keeping the area feeling light and open.

In fact, we’ve created the ultimate go-to guide for vertical gardening, which you can check out here if you’d like to learn more.

Hanging Baskets

Hanging baskets are another simple way to introduce height and colour to your outdoor space. I’d recommend choosing plants that have cascading foliage, such as ivy or petunias, as these create an abundant flow of foliage which draws the eye upwards, adding an extra dimension to your space.

From traditional wicker baskets to modern metal frames, there’s a hanging basket to complement every outdoor aesthetic, so I’d recommend getting out to the shops to get a good sense of what basket would look good in your space.

Foldable Furniture

Everyone wants to be able to sit outside and enjoy their garden. But in a small space, chairs and tables can take up a lot of room and make your garden feel cramped. Chairs and tables that can be easily folded and stored out of sight will free up space in your garden, making your garden feel larger and more open without sacrificing functionality.

Choosing to buy foldable furniture doesn’t mean sacrificing comfort either. There have been significant advancements in their design, with many foldable pieces now offering both style and ergonomic support. Whether it’s a cushioned foldable chair or a compact yet sturdy table, modern options combine practicality with comfort, making them perfect for small gardens or patios. 

Built-in Seating

If you’re not convinced about adding foldable furniture to your garden, then you should definitely consider adding built-in seating to make the most of the existing structures that you have. For example, integrating seating into a small brick wall or incorporating benches that double as storage for your garden tools can make all of the difference.

With any outdoor seating, I’d always recommend adding plenty of soft furnishings such as cushions and blankets to help make your space feel extra inviting and cosy.

Gravel Patios

Gravel patios add intriguing texture and charm to your garden, allowing the space to feel much larger than it is. As it’s so versatile, gravel will easily complement any aesthetic that you’re going for, so whether you’re creating an ultra-modern space or a small country garden, the gravel will fit right in.

What’s more, gravel’s incredibly low maintenance, providing excellent drainage while preventing weeds when used with an underlay. Its natural appearance makes it blend in with your planting, helping to enhance your outdoor space.

Water Features

Water features aren’t just reserved for grand estates! Even the smallest of gardens can benefit from the calming sound of running water. Whether it’s a compact wall-mounted fountain, a trickling cascade over a stone sculpture, or a simple birdbath, incorporating water into your garden adds a soothing ambience that helps you to escape in your space.

Water features also help to attract wildlife to your garden by offering a source of drinking water for birds, hedgehogs and other wildlife.

Plant Dwarf-Trees

Adding height to your garden is a really effective way of making the space feel bigger. While most small gardens can’t support a fully-fledged tree, there are many dwarf varieties of trees such as citrus, olive or Japanese maple which I’d highly recommend.

I’d always recommend planting your trees in the ground, rather than in pots if you can as this drastically reduces the amount of water and care that they need, but you can absolutely plant these varieties in pots if you don’t have enough ground space. In fact, we’ve outlined our top 10 trees for planting in pots on a balcony, which is worth a read if you’d like to learn more.

Outdoor Mirrors

Mirrors can be used to reflect light around your garden, creating the illusion of more space. By cleverly positioning an outdoor mirror on a wall or fence, you can make your garden seem much larger, brighter, and more open than it actually is. Mirrors also reflect your plants, flowers, and garden features, which creates the impression of depth, making your borders seem much denser than they are.

I’ve also seen mirrors being used to draw your attention to focal points in your garden, such as a striking plant display or a beautiful piece of garden art. This helps to create an extra sense of intrigue and depth to your garden that’s normally reserved for grand country estates.

With a wide variety of styles available, from antique frames to sleek and modern designs, you can find an outdoor mirror to fit perfectly with the style that you’re going for.

Cosy Fire Pits

A small fire pit is a wonderful way to enjoy your garden in the evenings, especially here in the UK where the weather is often on the cooler side for much of the year. Creating a cosy and warm gathering spot, a firepit allows you to extend the use of your outdoor space even as temperatures drop. The crackling fire creates a really welcoming atmosphere, which is perfect for relaxing with friends or family, roasting marshmallows, or simply unwinding under the stars.

For smaller gardens, I’d recommend choosing a more compact design that you can easily move to the side or store away when it’s not in use. There are even foldable or tabletop fire pits available, so even if you only have room for a small table and chair set in your garden, you can still have a fire pit.

Retractable Awnings

While I love sitting in small courtyard gardens on sunny days, you inevitably end up being too hot from a lack of breeze or are unable to sit outside due to rain. Retractable awnings are a great way to solve these weather conditions by providing shade on bright, sunny days, and shelter when you have some light rain. I’ve found that having one massively extends the amount of time that you can spend in your garden.

What I specifically like about retractable awnings is their flexibility. Unlike fixed structures, you don’t have to permanently have a canopy over your head as they can be easily tucked away when you want to let more light in or enjoy an open view of the sky.

Herb Gardens in Containers

If you’re short on outdoor space, then growing plants in containers is a great solution as it helps you to maximise and extend the green areas in your garden. Containers offer lot’s of flexibility as you can easily move plants around and reconfigure your space as you need to. This adaptability makes it simple to refresh your garden’s layout, whether you’re creating more room for outdoor seating or adjusting your plants positioning to cater for changing light conditions.

Herbs are a fantastic way to get started with container gardening, as they’re generally low-maintenance and thrive in smaller pots. But don’t just stop at herbs! Containers are great for growing all kinds of flowers, small shrubs, and even vegetables. You can cultivate a huge variety of plants to really make your space reflect your personality.

If you’d like to learn more about container gardening, we’ve created a host of articles to help you get started.

Beautiful Lighting

Lighting plays an incredibly important role when you’re designing your garden as it helps to set the tone and defines the overall feel of your space. Well-placed lighting can make even the smallest garden feel warm and inviting, transforming it into a space that you’ll want to use both day and night.

In my opinion, the best form of lighting that you can add to your outdoor space is string lights. By draping them along trees, shrubs and fences you make the core architectural features of your garden stand out throughout the evening, which adds a sense of grandeur to your space. What’s more, these string lights lead the eye around the space, which makes your space seem much larger than it actually is. In addition to string lights, festoon lighting is ideal for small gardens as the warm glow creates a beautiful ambience, turning your garden into a peaceful retreat after the sun sets.

Tiered Planters

If you’re looking to add some height and depth to your garden, then I’d highly recommend buying some tired planters. By arranging your plants at different levels, you can showcase a large variety of flowers without overcrowding your space. Tiered stands allow you to make the most of your vertical space, which often makes more compact gardens look much bigger.

I’ve found that combining plants with different textures, colours, and growth habits creates the most visually interesting display. Trailing plants such as ivy work really well on the top levels of vertical planters as they cascade down onto the lower levels and help the arrangement merge together better. For the middle tiers, I would choose more compact flowering plants such as petunias, geraniums, or pansies, which bring vibrant pops of colour to your space. On the lower tiers, bushier plants like ferns or ornamental grasses provide fullness and structure to your display.

Compact Barbecue

If you love outdoor entertaining or love that smoky taste, then you need to get a barbecue for your garden. A compact barbecue station is the perfect solution for maximising your outdoor gatherings without overwhelming your garden. By choosing a small, portable grill, you can easily store it away when it’s not in use to keep your garden clutter-free.

Green Walls for Lush Surroundings

Greenwalls aren’t just reserved for trendy offices, they also look great in small outdoor spaces! These vertical gardens offer a vibrant backdrop to your space, allowing you to inject a lot of personality without taking up any floor space.

When selecting plants for your green wall, I would recommend using a mixture of trailing, climbing, and compact plants to both fill the space and create pops of colour. Ferns, such as the Boston fern or maidenhair fern, are excellent at creating softness, while succulents bring unique shapes and colours. To add even more colour, I’d recommend choosing smaller plants such as begonias or trailing petunias, which will thrive in a green wall and brighten up the space throughout their growing season.

Hanging Chairs

If you have a sturdy tree or pergola, you have to install a hanging chair in your outdoor space. The gentle swaying of a swinging chair not only helps you to relax but brings a beautiful aesthetic to your garden. Because the chair doesn’t touch the ground, it tricks your brain into thinking that your space is larger.

Outdoor Rugs

If you’ve got an outdoor seating area, then I’d recommend purchasing an outdoor rug to tie the space together. A well-placed rug adds texture and comfort underfoot, making your outside space feel like an extension of your home. It creates a defined area for gatherings, helping to visually separate your seating space from the rest of the garden, which can help to make your space look bigger.

I would recommend choosing a rug with bold colours and interesting patterns to inject personality and warmth into your garden. Outdoor rugs come in various hardy materials, which are designed to withstand the elements so you don’t need to worry about bringing in your rug every time it rains. Once you’ve chosen your rug, buying cushions and throws with complementary colours and patterns helps you to tie your design choices into your space.

Conclusion

By incorporating these clever design tips and focusing on your seating and planting, you can turn transform your garden into a stunning and functional outdoor space. If you’d like to learn more about choosing the right plants for your space, take a look at the following articles.

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