LITTLE WONDERS

With a space-maximising design and the ingenious use of plants, small gardens can have the same impact as their larger cousins

- Karen Booth

Garden spaces are getting smaller as more of us eschew big backyards in favour of maximising indoor living spaces. A smaller outdoor area can look spectacular and be pretty much anything you want it to be, but some skill and creativity are required. Smaller gardens can be harder to design because everything is immediately visible and there isn’t much room for error. Basically, every centimetre counts.

A small backyard or courtyard can be a private, plant-filled getaway, an extension of your indoor living area, a place for entertaining, somewhere the kids can play or a combination of all the above. Generally speaking, the simpler the design and the more restrained the palette of colours, surfaces, textures and plants, the more soothing the effect. There are other tricks of the trade, such as using curved lines for garden beds, lawns and garden paths that can also help a small garden seem a bit longer, wider or more leisurely.

The plants you choose and how you use them is critical in the creation of a successful small garden. This can range from using climbing plants or vertical gardens to introducing more greenery and employing a specimen plant — perhaps a Japanese maple with its seasonal foliage colour changes or a potted dragon tree that acts as a living sculpture. This can be a focal point to anchor the design and draw the eye from inside the home.

POT CULTURE

An easy means of enjoying year-round foliage and floral colour, container gardening has much to offer. As long as you have some floor or wall space, you can introduce just about anything you want, from potted colour to potted produce.