It’s no secret that we Kiwis love our backyards and green spaces. They’re places where we can relax, entertain, and play — our own little slices of paradise.
But when your garden is on the compact side, it can take a bit more planning to get everything you might want from it. Here are five small garden design ideas to make the most of the space in your backyard.
1. Work with the scale of the space
When a garden is small, it’s important that your design, landscaping, and product choices are made with the limitations of the space in mind. For example, a huge BBQ that fills half the garden’s footprint might be great for a grill-up, but it would make your backyard good for little else. Whether it’s a spa pool, an outdoor couch, or a newly-planted tree, make sure you’re populating your garden with elements that won’t overpower everything else.
A small spa is the perfect fit for a compact space.
3. Play with the light
At night, effective garden lighting is like a royal flush — it trumps almost anything in creating atmosphere and shaping mood.
Selective lighting can accent the parts of your garden you want to draw attention to while leaving the rest under a blanket of darkness. While lighting obviously can’t change the size of your backyard, it can make a garden feel bigger by not drawing attention to the walls or edges of the space.
Mood lighting works wonders for building atmosphere.
The power of light isn’t limited to the post-sunset hours — sculpting daylight can also work wonders for changing the feel of a backyard space. A sun shade can make a relaxation area cool and covered, while a well-angled mirror can visually double the space in an instant.
4. Use the vertical space
Just like in a crowded city, when space in a garden is scarce, the only way to get more of it is to work up. While you won’t be filling the vertical space with a skyscraper, there are many different methods to take advantage of verticality in the backyard.
Turn your fence into a new garden space by installing a trellis and finding plants that are happy to grow vertically. If your house’s roof has a lot of overhang, you can attach hanging planter boxes, or get some vertical garden pots and build from the ground up in any place you like.
Don't build your garden out — build it up.
5. Lose the lawn
Lawns need mowing. Lawns need water. Lawns need fertilizing and aerating.
In other words, lawns need work.
When your garden is on the smaller side, reclaiming an unused lawn can be a good way to maximise the backyard space. Pavers, decking or even artificial grass can turn what used to be lawn into a low-maintenance seating, dining or cooking area.
Artificial grass makes for a low-maintenance backyard.
Are you planning a landscaping job and need help finding the best products and professionals? Connect with the best landscape architects and designers, and get your compact garden growing.
