Small Space Gardening Ideas

Making a comfortable virtue out of a cramped necessity

The greatest challenge offered by a small garden space is design. A small space gardener must also be a decorator, willing to explore subtle and creative ways of expanding the available space. Those innovations don’t have to be significant. If you can deceive the human eye into seeing a garden space that is larger and more intricate than it really is, then you’ve succeeded. Here are some small space gardening ideas that will literally broaden your horizons.

It comes with the territory

Your small space garden design is going to be dictated by the available territory, so begin by examining the grounds. Are there obtrusive landmarks that will need to be covered? Are there non-traditional spaces that you might be able to incorporate into your small space garden design? What areas of the ground are your eyes naturally drawn to? All of these questions will help you formulate a unique garden space.

Colonies of accessories

A basic design mistake often made with small space gardens is thinking in terms of one unified and confined gardening area. Instead, picture your primary garden space as a settlement that can colonize the surrounding area. If that makes you think of Invasion of the Body Snatchers?, you might be too paranoid to take up gardening.

Containers are a great way to expand small space gardens. Annual flowers or perennial plants can add texture and color to even the smallest landscape niches. If there’s a large spreading tree near your small garden, you can create a hanging garden space by looping ropes over its stronger branches and attaching these to plant containers.

Fences and walls should also be viewed as potential growing spaces rather than limitations. Some garden vegetables such as tomatoes and beans require staking or trelliswork. A wall could substitute quite nicely, contributing a layered look to your small space garden.

The art of small space gardening

One really interesting way to revolutionize your small space garden is with artwork. That doesn’t mean you have to hang a print of Monet’s Water Lilies on the fence next to your carrots. Garden artwork can include sculpture, glasswork, prisms, mirrors, and old furniture pieces.

If your small space garden contains a natural visual focal point, consider placing an abstract metal sculpture there. Geometric shapes add great visual texture to a garden and enable you to play with a variety of forms.

As Monet knew, light plays an enormous role in the way we visually perceive the world around us. Glasswork and prisms will capture light in a small space garden and spread it around in dazzling fashion. An old-fashioned mirror might sound like an odd garden accessory, but consider how often mirrors are used to make home interiors appear larger. A strategically placed mirror in conjunction with some hanging stained glass prisms would transform your small space garden into a multi-colored kaleidoscope.

Small distressed tables or stools that you find at a flea store are also wonderful small garden space accessories, as are patio tables with ceramic or stained glass mosaic designs. If the width of your garden space is a problem, remember to think vertically. Adding furniture of various sizes to your garden space will create a very compelling tiered look for a container garden. Beauty is often the difference between cramped and cozy.

Oh yes, the plants

All these small space gardening ideas and we haven’t even touched on plants! Plant varieties provide a wealth of options for small space gardeners. Dwarf shrubs are great for covering backyard eyesores. Trying out different plants and vegetables from year to year will help you discover the colors and shapes best suited to your particular small space garden.