How to make the most out of a small garden

From tiny apartment balconies, rooftop decks, compact courtyards or narrow paved walkways, there are many creative ways to create a lush, serene and functional garden regardless of the size of your outdoor area.

Well planned small gardens can be just as beautiful and functional as sprawling manicured ones. Best of all, they don’t take much financial cost and time to set up and maintain.

If your tiny outdoor area is in need of some TLC, here are our eight top tips to make the most of the space you do have and bring your small garden to life.

Space-saving furnishings

When setting up your small garden for practical use like alfresco dining and drying laundry, opt for space-saving options. Invest in a sturdy foldaway table and set of chairs, a collapsible umbrella and a retractable clothesline, so you can minimise clutter and tuck all these items away when not in use.

Multi-purpose bench seating

If you have the space, consider adding in timber bench seating with hinged lids. This provides the perfect spot to store all those little items, like watering cans, cushions, gardening and BBQ equipment, collapsible chairs, firewood, the esky and alike that can take up precious space in your little garden. You could even incorporate planter boxes into the bench seat design giving you a comfy spot to sit as well as grow your fave lush plants.

Create levels

Define different areas of your small garden using pavers, steps, hedges, garden beds, gates, water features, decking, screens or fences. Believe it or not, this will help to make the area feel larger and allows you to create multiple outdoor zones with different purposes. Consider adding in a chill-out zone level with benches, a fire pit and/or water feature and then a dining and cooking level with a table setting and a BBQ.

Look around

When planning your mini garden look to use every possible inch of space to grow plants. Look for opportunities to hang plants off an awning, fencing, walls, verandas or the garden trellis. Make the most of blank wall space on your patio, courtyard wall or balcony by adding greenery in the form of wall mounted planters, climbing plants or by hanging a vertical garden. Woolly Pockets are a great green wall modular planter option that is easy to install and maintain, with self-watering versions available.

Go potty

Planter boxes and pots are the perfect solution for small paved courtyards with no garden beds and cramped concrete balconies. Line larger pots and shrubs along your balcony railing for extra privacy. Container gardens are especially good for renters who can easily uproot all their hard work and take their pot plants with them when they move on to a new home.

Edible extras

Create your own little green fragrant oasis in your planters, pots or a raised garden bed by planting easy to grow edibles and herb variety es. Edible plants that thrive in containers and small spaces include lettuce, strawberries, citrus trees, olive trees, bush beans, spinach, mint, chives, rosemary, basil and thyme, just to name a few!

Up the Zen factor

For those without a green thumb or a serious interest in gardening, a minimalist Japanese-style Zen pebble garden could be a good low maintenance way to go. Enhance the tranquil Japanese theming with the addition of a beautiful potted Japanese maple, bamboo screen to provide a wall of green, a Buddha statue, a koi fish pond or a Bonsai tree or two. The great thing about Bonsai trees is they grow very slowly, don’t take up much space and look amazing.

Screen queen

Typically, compact living means close proximity to neighbours and a lack of outdoor privacy. If your courtyard or balcony space has neighbours overlooking or visible foot traffic close by, a natural screen can be the perfect way to go to add greenery and privacy. Plant a line of bamboo, magnolia trees or mother in-law’s tongue along the area you wish to block out prying eyes from. Alternatively put up a garden trellis and plant creeper plants below to make a lush green screen that maximises privacy.

We hope these tips help you to transform your small yard from drab to a fab private green oasis. For more tips and tricks about gardening take a look at our garden privacy ideas, vertical garden ideas and indoor plant guide.