5 Garden Design Ideas To Make A Small Garden Look Amazing

If you have a yard or garden that is small and there is a problem of lack of space, must see our 5 garden design ideas that can make a small garden look amazing and bigger.

Even though you may long for a courtyard garden like the ones in magazines or on Pinterest, it can be quite daunting to actually design it, especially if you don’t know where to start.

Luckily there are many resources online to help you turn that neglected small yard into a beautifully designed courtyard garden.

Here are our five garden design ideas to get you started planning your dream courtyard.

1. Use Colours and Repetition to Add Depth

When choosing colors, you want to pick ones that will add depth to the garden. You want to choose cool colors like blues and purples for the border because they blend into each other and create an illusion of a bigger space. Pick warm colors like orange, red, and yellow to highlight the space.

Repeating specific colors will also tie the space together and have an impact on your yard. When choosing plants for a garden, make sure you choose ones that will fulfill their purpose in your space.

Yes, choose plants based on aesthetics. But consider what else space needs. Will you have time to look after high maintenance plants? Do you need shade? Make sure to get something that will have a lot of foliage.

2. Use Levels to Create Cosy Alcoves

You may be thinking, I want my yard to look bigger, not smaller! There are plenty of ways to make a small yard or garden look bigger (some of them listed here), but this should not be your only goal when designing your small garden.

Think about the purposes you want your small yard to fulfill. Do you want the space to be comfortable as well as being full of greenery and color? Creating terraced areas will allow you to have the best of both worlds.

You can use raised garden beds as individual spaces to take advantage of vertical space and bring your garden closer to eye level (more on that later). Spiral garden beds made using bricks are a practical and efficient way to utilize space.

Also Read: How to make a spiral herb garden

3. Be Creative with Walkways

We’ve all heard about how stripes can hurt us or help us in fashion, but what about having them in the garden? Paving and installing decking diagonally will give the illusion of more space.

Using a diagonal path or an “S” curved path instead of a shorter, a straight walkway will elongate a path making the entire space feel bigger. Stepping stones can also be a good option for a smaller space.

Being creative with walkways can also be more attractive and make a more significant impact. There are some beautiful ways to make your stepping stones using pre-mix cement.

4. Make Use of Multi-Purpose Features

If you want space for entertaining or enjoying your expertly designed garden, you should consider building structural components that can fulfill multiple uses.

A bench seat can be used as storage with a seat that folds open. Planters built on either side can house ornamental fruit trees, which will add shade. You could even add built-in LED lighting.

This bench has five uses and can be built cheaply using pallets and a little bit of know-how. There are plenty of DIY instructions online that could help you put together the perfect piece of furniture for your space.

Also Read: Small Garden Design Ideas

5. Vertical Gardening to Maximise Space

You may have more space than you realize. With a small area, it’s important to consider the often neglected vertical space.

You can take advantage of this space by using hanging planters, which look especially pretty with cascading plants, or installing a trellis and training a creeper. Use window boxes to brighten up the outside as well as inside your home.

That’s not to mention the many DIY options. There is plenty of inspiration for how to use an old ladder. You can paint it and use it to hold potted plants.

Anchor a palette to the wall and use it as a planter, or check out all the ways you can use plastic bottles as vertical planters.

Once you begin planning your small yard design and using all the resources and ideas out there, you’ll find it’s not so intimidating. You’ll be more than ready to get stuck into creating a better space for your small garden!

Alex Kuchel is the National Brand Manager at AOU. She loves her job and loves jotting down her thoughts on all things outdoors. Outside of work, she loves scoffing sorbet ice-creams in the summer sun, finding sand between her toes, trying to tame her very naughty puppy, “Sabre” and enjoying everything the outdoors has to offer! Especially in Summer – the happiest time of year!

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