Sweet & petite

With some creativity and a well-composed planting palette, even the smallest garden can become your own personal paradise

- KAREN BOOTH

For some, a small garden is a challenge. For others, it’s an opportunity to think creatively and produce something that’s perfectly tailored to the space and the way you want to use it. For most, it’s a bit of both.

“I personally find designing gardens for small areas both really interesting and a welcome challenge, with the payoff usually being a neatly integrated space with several multipurpose components that afford flexibility,” says Aaron Worth, landscape designer and owner of Utopia Landscape Design. “The mistake many people make with a compact garden is to fill the space with structural and functional elements and cut back on the planting. This results in hard, sometimes cold two-dimensional or uninviting spaces, making the garden much less inviting to use.

“Do your planning up front and design the space with plants in mind rather than as an afterthought,” says Aaron. “Plants play many roles in the smaller garden. They visually soften the space, add colour and texture, cool wall and floor surfaces, and provide an enveloping effect that is very soothing.”

Justine Carlile, landscape designer and owner of Justine Carlile Landscape Design, says there are numerous components to designing small gardens. “A particularly important consideration is when the outdoor space can be viewed from inside the house. In this case bringing the outside indoors is critical,” she says. “And while limited space might be the initial challenge, other factors such as poor access, lack of direct sunlight, poor ventilation, and restricted areas for planting can all impact creating a great outdoor space.”

THE POTTED GARDEN