You would naturally think that it would be easier to landscape a smaller area than it would be to design a larger garden area, but that is not necessarily true.
Small spaces can have their own set of challenges when it comes to garden design.
One of the first considerations in transforming a small space is to create a view or a focal point. This may take the shape of a pergola or arbour. Maybe it is a quaint sitting area. It could even be a piece of art or water feature.
Just like any garden, you need to have something that will catch and capture your attention and cause your eyes and mind to rest. Let your imagination go when dreaming of what your focus will be. Perhaps a stone wall, or a cute potting shed. What about an unusual plant specimen with a unique texture or colour?
Even though your space may be small, it is good to create different zones or “rooms” in the garden. It may seem contrary to logic, but breaking up open areas of a small space will actually make it feel larger. By simply adding a pathway or a small sitting area with a bench can make your space feel larger than it is.
The use of lines also plays an important part of designing a small garden. Using long, straight lines tricks your mind into thinking a small garden landscape is bigger than it is. If using straight lines in a geometric pattern, make sure that all lines run parallel to one another to maintain a simple look.
In a small space, your eye gets overwhelmed when navigating multiple curves or lines. The garden will feel small and cluttered. Small spaces call for a clear, simple overall design. Begin designing your garden by thinking about the shape of garden beds and seating areas from a bird’s-eye view.
Create a plan using strong shapes and simple lines. A rectangular planting bed, for example, may be more space-efficient than a bed with curves.
In smaller-sized gardens, it is necessary to create some vertical interest. Anything that leads the eye upwards will make the garden feel larger.
This could be done by adding a compact tree, such as Stewartia, that will still be in scale with your yard and not overwhelm it. Other ways to add vertical accents include adding vines on fences, walls and arbours, or even using espaliers on fences and walls.
Taking advantage of different textures is another way to make a small garden pop. Big, bold tropical plants create a lush feel, especially in a small landscape. Their large leaves can manipulate the scale of a small backyard to help it feel larger, and their unusual shape helps to boost the “cool” factor of the area.
Having a good mix of coarse and fine-textured plants gives the garden a sense of depth, making some areas of the garden visually come towards you and other areas visually recede.
Warm colours such as red, orange and yellow all jump out at the eye and appear closer, making the space feel smaller. Cool colours — blues, mauve, pink and white — on the other hand, recede, making a space feel larger than it is.
For example, a set of blue chairs at the far end of a rectangular garden will make the space feel larger than a set of red chairs in the same place. This colour concept applies to plants as well as furnishings.
Help your small-space garden feel larger by embracing a cool colour palette. Use warm colours for accents here and there.
These are just a few things to consider when designing a small garden area.
Joanne Young is a Niagara-on-the-Lake garden expert and coach. See her website at joanneyoung.ca.
