The great thing about small space gardening is that it can allow you to have a lot of room in your yard for other things. If you have a small yard and really don’t want to sacrifice your above ground pool or your stainless steel gas grill set up, you don’t have to. Just create a small space garden that can do the job but not over take your entire yard.
Have a plan
Since you will be working with a little space, it is important that you plan first before you start digging into the soil. Draw a layout of your front garden design and take note of where your walkway should be and where your garden should start and end. Make sure that trees or shrubs will not cover the front door later on.
First of all consider the space you have. If you have a small yard, you can mix vegetables and herbs in with your flowers and shrubs. Don’t worry about how it will look, most vegetable and herbs look beautiful alongside flowers. They provide a beautiful green foliage backdrop to the vibrant blossoms. When the fruit begins to ripen, red tomatoes and stunning peppers add color and interest.
Maximize the small space
If you really want to maximize the amount of green in your small garden, add creepers and vines, flowers and plants stalks, and pots around the area you already have. This can really increase your gardening area. Another way to increase area is by using a vertical garden structure, which can be as simple as growing plants on an existing wall or fence.
If your preference is strictly for color, there are a variety of hardy plants which can be planted in pots and troughs of different heights; but leave room for trailing plants cascading over the side. To incorporate height, a trellis can be used in your larger pots for a backdrop for growing trailing ivy, sweet peas or red scarlet beans. Do not be afraid to include some of your house plants that may enjoy coming outside for a change.
Consider the use of planters
Use planters that go with the size of the plants. You do not want to use up all the spaces planting just one tomato plant in a big container when you might grow just as many tomatoes in a hanging planter. The upside down idea is really great for this. Lots of plants can be easily grown in hanging baskets. Bell peppers, strawberries, chili peppers, and herbs do well in small containers.
Also, it’s better to avoid the use of too many varieties of materials with a small scale garden. If you choose a certain theme, then to stick to it and add only the needed materials in order to emphasize the theme. Mirrors are good to make the area look wider. It will also reflect the light that will help brighten the narrow area. They need to be durable and suitable for outdoor use.
And finally, when designing gardens for smaller spaces, the choice of suitable trees reduces as the available space reduces. While a small space may be able to support a large species of tree, it may make everything else look out of proportion. While gardening small spaces will not take too much of your time, designing them can be quite tricky. Careful thought and planning should be done to maximize the little space that you have.