Updated: 13/11/2020

Small Garden Ideas

Small gardens are fantastic for quick pocket-friendly makeovers. There are several quick fixes you can do, to change the look and feel of a small garden. While having a medium or large-sized garden does help while unleashing your creativity, it’s the little gardens that can be made to look extraordinarily beautiful. 

Maintaining a small garden isn’t only about what to plant and when to plant, it is about aesthetically choosing plants, paints, showpieces, mirrors, latticework, and a host of other things that can add substance to your garden. Small gardens can be turned into outdoor sanctuaries where you can escape for a few hours. They are fantastic for relaxing with a cup of tea or coffee and some soft music. 

The trick with small gardens is to make them feel homely or cosy. The cosier they appear, the better liked they will be. Quaint meandering paths, meadow-like plants, traditional décor, and fairy-inspired themes can bring life to any garden – large or small. 

You can redo the small garden outside your home, a patio garden, a minor landscaping project, or any other small garden you would like to get your hands on. Many of these ideas also work on medium and large-sized gardens, so if you want to implement these on a slightly larger scale, please feel free to do so. 

Garden Rugs:

Most people underestimate the power of a beautiful garden rug. A garden rug is an inexpensive, unique method of sprucing up a small garden. If you have any outdoor furniture, you could add a garden rug below the coffee table, or as a cosy sitting space for you or your loved ones. These rugs are easy to clean and wash and can be replaced with ease. They add a certain elegance to the garden space, without making the change look too loud. 

You can purchase water-resistant or hardwearing ones that will suit external weather conditions. You can gently hose the rug off with a little water after a barbecue or during summer months. Doing this helps save the rug from regular footfall and also protects it from pet hair fall, dust, mud, and footprints. 

Mounting a Shelf:

Small gardens are usually boxed in from two or three sides. Adding a shelf or two will help maximise space on the walls and fences. Shelving will allow you to add potted plants, herbs, and small aromatic plants. Not only do these look gorgeous, but also add to the entire décor of the space.

You can install a long shelf, or several small ones to add some texture and depth of the space. You could also use garden shelves to showcase beautiful candles, lamps, garden ornaments, and small plants. 

Tend to the Grass:

While decorating your garden and trying to make it look beautiful, do not forget the most important thing – the grass. Tend to your lawn and ensure it stays green. Green grass gives a small space a beautiful look and adds to the beauty and elegance of the garden. If you have tall grass, use a lawnmower or cordless strimmer and keep the height of the grass short. 

Allowing the grass to get too tall can decrease the sense of space in your garden. A short, well-tended, green lawn makes the garden appear well maintained and manicured at all times. 

Trim the Hedges and Trees:

Pruning the hedges and felling trees around the boundary are also great ways to make your garden appear more extensive than its actual space. Tall trees tend to dwarf the area and can be challenging to maintain in a small space. Use a chainsaw to trim and reduce the branches of the trees and eventually cut them down to create more space. 

Cordless hedge trimmers help reduce the volume of the hedges and shrubs while ensuring you maintain the fencing and boundary of your garden. Hedges are great for keeping people out, but not so great for small gardens. Keeping the hedges trimmed at all times will also help increase the brightness of the garden while promoting the additional airflow. 

Add Different Flowering Plants:

We know you’ve heard about this many times, but adding colourful flowers help liven up the available space. Adding flowers like marigolds, cosmos, hydrangeas, and other perennials will keep the garden looking bright for several months in the year. 

What most people are unaware of is that several herbs also have beautiful flowers. Herbs like dill, spring onions, basil, pineapple sage, thyme, rocket, and rosemary have gorgeous flowers that are dainty, yet pleasing to view. You could also utilise the herbs for cooking and other activities around the house like in diffusers or smudge sticks. Lemon thyme, tatsoi, and violets are some favourites for herb gardens and potting benches.

Garden Art:

Add small artwork or art pieces to the garden to make it pop such as a garden mirror. It reflects an eclectic style of gardening while making your garden seem unique.

The artwork also adds a lot of character to small spaces and enhances the entire area. Small pots, birdhouse ornaments, jazzy decorative art pieces on bare walls, and other types of all-weather art works excellently in gardens.

If you are unsure about metallic or wooden art, you could install bamboo blinds behind plants to create a unique traditional feel to the garden. You could also put up some fabric pieces in different hues to change the look of the entire space. 

Outdoor Furniture:

Add a small piece of outdoor furniture to make the garden a cosy nook. Sitting areas to read, drink some tea or coffee, listen to music, or chat with friends adds great beauty to any garden. Position your plants around the seating areas to get a fantastic visual impact. Flowering plants or aromatic plants should also be placed around seating areas.

If you want, you could also add a reed diffuser or oil burner with essential oils like citronella, lavender, basil, juniper, and more. Outdoor furniture that accentuates the theme of your garden and keeps it blended in works great for small gardens. Furniture for large gardens should be contrasting to appear more striking than usual instead of things like cantilever parasols.