Small Garden Ideas

Just as you would with any backyard large or small the first thing you need to do is familiarize yourself with the specifics about gardening in your region and the things that are unique to your space that might impact how you garden. Learning about your area means understanding the climate, the kind of soil, and the nature of plants that thrive there. Your local gardening center or greenhouse can be a great resource for learning this information, or you can turn and do some research on your own.

Understanding the space in which you will be planning your garden means figuring out if you get full sun, part sun or if you are in the shade or if different parts of your planned gardening area receive different kinds of sunlight. You will also need to consider things like slope and how effectively you will be able to water your plants. Again, your local gardening center or this application are both good places to take these facts and figure out what they mean to you regarding choosing plants.

Small garden design ideas are not easy to find. A small garden design is different from other garden designs. Space plays an important role in small garden design ideas. The garden should not seem very populated but at the same time it should provide a complete whole to the home.

Implementing small garden design ideas doesn't require a plot of soil because many plants can grow in containers. Raised beds also provide enough growing space for plants, as do hanging baskets and vertical gardens. When the budget or space is limited, wooden pallets used for shipping make good vertical gardens for growing smaller, more shallow rooted plants, whether edible or decorative.

Climate makes a difference when selecting the type of containers for small gardens if a plot of soil isn't available. Plastic pots may not be as decorative as ceramic or terra cotta pots, but the plastic holds moisture better, which makes them a better container for water loving plants in hot or dry regions. It should not be a separate entity but act as a complete unit with the house. Garden design ideas for small area generally aim to dress up the house more than formally plant trees. It can also be a peaceful area where you can rest during the evenings.

With the smaller garden, it is not as easy to do things like hidden turns and garden rooms. But this does not mean you need to throw away the elements of contemporary garden design. You have opportunities to do similar things on a smaller scale. Imagine you have a small garden space towards the back of your yard. It is on your right as you walk towards it.

You can start with a low box wood type hedge, or in my case a rock about twelve high with a sharp is edge on the top. My rock is about three feet long. I laid the rock perpendicular to and touching my garage wall, forming a border shaped like a mountain range. As you walk further back, the area at first obscured by the rock reveals itself. I tried to make this more dramatic by using multicolored peonies planted very tightly against the side of the rock near the garage wall. This way, you see a small explosion of color that remains hidden until you have come completely to the level of the rock. This is my version of the hidden turn. And again, here is the versatility of the small garden. You can still have some of the traditional elements of the larger garden, like a separated sitting area or playing area.