We Brits love our gardens but city living can often mean smaller spaces. To combat this, gardens need to be cleverly designed to maximise every inch in urban settings, using clean lines, simple designs, and minimal planting. The team from British Garden Centres have put together a guide packed with expert tips and inspiring ideas to help you transform your compact courtyard, small patio or bijou balcony into an outdoor space you’ll adore.
Top of the pots
Where space is limited, using pots for gardening is an excellent option. They are especially useful for those who have stone or concrete patios or decking that make it difficult to dig into the ground. Container gardening is also ideal for those who live in flats with balconies or those who rent their properties and frequently move, as they can easily pick up and transport their pots.
Grouping large pots with smaller ones adds visual interest and creates a plant display with height and structure. Plants can also enhance a small garden setting when planted right in containers. Consider a mix of plants that offer height (like dwarf conifers, phormium or cordyline), colourful flowers (Geraniums, Petunias, or Fuchsias), plants to add texture (Heuchera, grasses, or succulents), and scented plants (herbs, Jasmine, or Sweet Peas) for a dynamic look.
Up is where we go from here
A vertical garden is a fantastic way to transform small outdoor spaces while enhancing shade, beauty, and privacy. If you’re facing a lack of space in your garden, there are several options to consider. We recommend planting with obelisks, around a pergola, over a garden arch, or even creating a teepee structure from bamboo canes to support flowering plants like clematis, sweet peas, beans, honeysuckle grapes, or tomatoes.
Another great idea is to plant climbing plants in raised beds and train them on trellises against a wall to maximize the space. Jasmine and roses are both easy to grow and will add delightful colour and fragrance to your smaller garden.
You can also use hanging baskets filled with evergreens, hardy perennials, grasses, and succulents to create stunning displays that can be hung from walls, trees, posts or fences outdoors.
Cosy seating
With gardens now seen as the fifth room of the house complement your small space with some space-saving furniture to enjoy and sit on in the summer sun. If you don’t have a big space in your garden foldaway furniture or a little table won’t take up too much of the patio and garden space.
The Fern Living Brimham Companion set is a compact Bistro table, and chairs are ideal for relaxed drinks and snacks in smaller spaces, whilst the Dalby Companion Bench is great for those with a limited garden footprint that can’t quite accommodate an outdoor dining set.
Light it up
If your small garden doesn’t get much sun, we recommend something to lighten up the dark corners and define the boundary of the space. Mirrors are invaluable in small gardens for creating the illusion of more space by reflecting the surrounding greenery and doubling the apparent size of the area. They also brighten shady spots by bouncing sunlight and enhance focal points like plants or water features.
Outdoor lighting is great for smaller spaces and highlights key features like plants and water features, creates a sense of depth and highlights architectural features in the evening light. By illuminating the garden, you visually extend your living space, making your home and garden feel larger.
Amy Stubbs, Project and Development Manager said: “No matter how small your outdoor space, with a little creativity and planning, you can transform it into a garden you’ll love. At British Garden Centres, we have everything you need to bring your vision to life from a wide selection of plants and pots perfect for compact spaces to space-saving furniture and inspiring lighting solutions, our expert staff can offer friendly advice to help you make the most of your urban garden.”
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