Updated: 23/07/2020

10 Ideas to Make a Garden Look Bigger

A small garden is ideal for entertaining family, friends, and loved ones. Making a small garden look bigger than it actually is, could pose a considerable challenge in urban areas. You don’t need a large area to make a statement with your small garden. Small-sized gardens can be beautiful, with a few smart changes to the layout, colours, arrangements, and lights. The garden should have an ideal design, and you should maximize different types of lights alongside natural light to add to the beauty. 

You can plan or overhaul an existing garden without spending too much money and only investing in the right things. Having a small space does not mean you cannot have your dream garden. With a few tweaks and some of our tricks, you can get the garden of your dreams in your available area. 

To help you get started, we’ve put together a list of 10 ideas to make your garden look more prominent.

1. Layout:

The layout of the garden is as essential as what is being planted. Bulky pots and plants can actually reduce the size of the garden and make it look cluttered. You should clear out space and allow for smooth walking areas or gatherings. You can also define individual sections of your garden using different textures and colours. Breaking the space and adding a little negative zone in the centre of the garden can actually make it look large.

2. Dimensions:

New dimensions help create depth and show differences in spaces being used. Adding different levels to the garden can also work to your favour. One great way to do this is with the addition of garden furniture like small chairs and tables, garden racks, shelves, and planter spaces. You can also create a little sit-out area with the help of a cantilever parasol and some low seating garden furniture.

3. Water:

By concealing a part of the garden, you can create the illusion that there is more to it than meets the eye. Playing around with water fixtures like Tibetan water bowls, shallow pools, and lightly running waterscapes adds to the depth of the area, and will also give you a sense of space. Always remember to be minimalistic while adding water elements to the garden. Adding too much will take away available space, and will also restrict movement.

4. Clean and Simple:

Most people believe that decorating a garden with everything on their Pinterest account is actually a great thing. It is not. Be extremely selective about garden ornaments and tools that you purchase to keep your garden in shape. Ensure the garden has space to move around, add more plants, and allow natural light to pass through. Doing this makes it look roomier and larger than the actual size. Clutter in the garden can decrease the sense of space.

5. Shelve the Tools:

Leaving garden tools like garden shears and garden shredders lying around can create a messy and disorganized look. Always have a separate shelving area or a small tool cupboard for all your gardening tools. Ensure it is large enough to fit a long reach hedge trimmer and large-sized telescopic garden shears.

6. Cultivate Fruit and Veg:

Cultivating fruits and vegetables instead of flowering plants helps make the garden look diverse. A diverse garden always looks larger, owing to the variety of plant life and veg life. Many small tomato plants will look beautiful next to rose shrubs. Mix flowering beds with veggie pots, beans, and peas for a vertical display garden. Not only will you add to the veg garden, but also increase the space utilized. 

7. Create Zones:

Most people add turf or green throughout the garden. This makes it look monochromatic. Adding textures and colours to the ground tricks viewers into believing there is more space than the original. If budget is a constraint, you could add light coloured gravel in between different plantation zones as markers. However, if you insist on a lawn, ensure that you invest in a compact lawnmower so that it does not create a bulky look. 

8. Grow Climbers:

While most people think this is obvious, it is one of the most forgotten aspects of small gardens. Small gardens have space to literally grow on walls. Use the fencing, neighbours’ walls, garage entrances, and sides adjoining the house to vertically expand your garden. Small plantation boxes, climbers, hanging planter pots, and artistic cultivation will help maximize diversity and increase the sense of space.

9. Lighting:

We cannot emphasize how crucial it is to let natural light seep into the garden. Gloomy closed off spaces always make the available area look small. Light coloured materials, planters, and textures help reflect light and add to the entire appeal of the garden. Sparkly granite or quartz, glossy steel pots, polished planters, and glass tables help make the area visually appealing. Light coloured paint on the walls also adds to the sense of airiness. Glossy foliage, Japanese aralia, ferns, and brightly coloured flowers also increase the brightness of the garden. 

10. Mirrors:

Most people presume mirrors should only be inside the house. Mirrors on walls trick viewers into believing there is more space than what is actually visible. Placing large mirrors on the walls help double the size of the existing garden and hide small and irregular shapes. Placing mirrors next to bright plants and glossy foliage increases the look of the area. Since mirrors reflect whatever you put in front of them, adding them in shadowy areas will actually allow light to pass through and light up more space than is actually visible. 

While these tips and tricks are not exhaustive, there are several more things you could do like hide boundaries with thick climbers and light colours to make the area appear large, use different textures on walls and on the floor, and create fresh perspective with additional shelving for multi-layered plantations. You could also create a mini garden that acts as a showing space for art. Boxed garden enclosures are the current rage, and they don’t take up too much space.