Having a small garden has many of the same advantages as having a small house. Like a small house, it encourages innovation and is more fun to design, create, and maintain.
Because they have much less square footage, small gardens cost much less to landscape, water, feed, and maintain. They also consume less of your time.
I will start by sharing my credentials. Then, I’ll cover my landscaping tips for small gardens and conclude with a few green thumb tips.
Landscaping and horticulture credentials
I fell in love with horticulture when I visited a relative’s garden nursery. I spent hours wandering through the rows of shrubs and trees. It was a paradise to me. This inspired me to dive into garden work at home.
Soon after visiting the nursery, I assumed full responsibility for our family home’s front and back yards. In those days, my parents didn’t have enough money to give me funds for more plants and other landscaping materials, but I kept our yards perfectly manicured and clean. I also added plants I got for free from relatives and friends when I could.
During my first two years of college, I took many horticulture classes. The college I attended had an extensive horticulture facility that included landscaping exhibits, lawn care areas, water features, shade plant structures, greenhouses, compost bins, vegetable gardens, and more. It was very nice. Although I did not get a degree in horticulture, I did get a certificate.
I’ve continued to take landscaping and gardening classes through college extension programs and city parks and recreation departments. Now that I live in a desert region, I’ve had to learn new landscaping and gardening techniques. Fortunately, the city’s parks and recreation department sponsors many free classes, including desert gardening and landscaping. These classes are 1-2 hours long and are held at a park with a demonstration garden just down the street from where I live. 🙂 I’ve taken about 10 of them over the last few years.
In my late teens and early 20s, I owned a small landscaping business specializing in small gardens, yards, patios, atriums, and aviaries. The story of how the aviary part came about is interesting but long and requires a separate article.
This business came about through requests and referrals, starting with family and friends. It wasn’t a business I worked at every day, but many projects required full-time work for weeks to complete. The specialization on small projects was just my preface. I wouldn’t accept large jobs. I didn’t enjoy working on them, and I didn’t have the equipment or personnel to do them correctly.
Those are my credentials. Here are my landscaping tips for small gardens.
Landscaping tips for small gardens
This list of tips is much longer than I expected. But it includes everything I could remember about successful landscaping, emphasizing small gardens. Many of the tips, however, are valid for any landscaping project.
1. Think big
Most people initially react to landscaping their small garden by thinking they are restricted and can’t do much with it. That is not correct. Cast out all limited thinking. A small garden can be made to look as spectacular as a large one, but just on a much smaller scale.
Sure, you can’t install a full-size swimming pool, but you might be able to install a small prefabricated fiberglass pool. If that doesn’t fit, you could consider adding a hot tub.
For greenery, although some shrubs and trees get too large to fit, many other possibilities can be used to fulfill your design aspirations.
2. Design for impact
Consider adding dramatic focal point features such as statues, pillars, fountains, and wall ornaments. Wall fountains are a good choice for making the best use of limited space.
Big, beautiful rocks can also make a statement.
3. Divide to expand
Dividing the space into multiple purposes not only makes a small garden more useful, but it also makes it look bigger.
You may have heard P. Allen Smith talk about garden rooms on his television show. This is the same idea I am discussing, but on a smaller scale and divided into multiple tiny rooms.
You might divide it into two to four spaces and design each to serve a different purpose. These spaces might include a tropical scape, desert scape, meditation area, resting bench, hot tub gazebo, covered patio, sun deck, pond, vegetable garden, outdoor kitchen or barbecue, pet area or enclosure.
4. Get crazy
Don’t restrict yourself to common landscape features. Get crazy and try things that add a whimsical look or represent your personality.
Add things that you might find on an isolated back road. These might include covered wagon (18th/19th Century) parts, antique car parts, and old house fixtures like a clawfoot tub.
I always wanted to put an “operational” clawfoot tub into a lush, private garden setting. It would work very well in a small garden as an alternative to a hot tub.
Whatever item can easily withstand the weather is a candidate. The key is to select things that make you smile, evoke pleasant memories, or bring about peaceful feelings.
5. Consider hardscapes
You can use many materials to create retaining walls, planters, patios, and walkways.
I particularly like building raised and multilevel terraced planters for small gardens using blocks, brick, or rock for plants and vegetables. I like to start at a seating height and then increase to a level high enough for easy stand-up access without bending over. This design also creates the illusion of more space and depth.
If the property has hills or slopes, I also like to install retaining walls to create more space. These walls also prevent erosion and plants and groundcovers from spreading and trailing.
Here’s a list of hardscape materials.
- Rock & Stone – I like these materials because they create the most natural appearance. However, they aren’t the most economical.
- Blocks & Brick – Block retaining walls and planters are a good deal. Brick is more expensive, but it looks more appropriate for a garden.
- Pavers & Tile – Pavers come in various precast shapes and uses. They are a decent value. Tile creates an elegant look. You’ll pay more for them than other materials, but it can be worth it if that’s your desired look.
- Concrete – I like to use concrete because it can be molded into unique shapes that would be difficult with other materials. Concrete is suitable for curvy or unique paths and planters. It works exceptionally well for unique patios, stairways, and robust retaining walls.
- Composites – Made from recycled materials like wood, plastic, and vinyl fibers, composites are ideal for decks or walkways.
- Wood – Redwood, cedar, or treated wood is best for lattice patios and gazebos.
6. Get control with covers
With a patio cover, you can create shade, block neighboring buildings, and use it as a screen to create privacy.
There are many different types of patio covers made with various materials. Choose based on the overall look you’re trying to achieve and the specific function you want it to perform.
7. Disney the unsightly
The master in creating screens, hiding things, and separating themes is Disney. You never see the behind-the-scenes equipment or activities. And each Disney “land” appears to be alone, even though the transition from one to the next might only be a few feet. Disney’s use of shrubs, trees, and facades is extraordinary. If you consider how many different environments there are in a relatively small piece of land in Anaheim, CA, the scale is similar to a small garden if you were to go for a spectacular look.
A key landscaping principle for privacy is using fences, patio covers, shrubs, and trees as screens.
In a small garden, you’ve got to be smarter. You probably don’t have space for the most frequently used shrubs and trees for privacy, so you must be very selective and innovative.
One trick I’ve used quite a bit to create privacy is to add a lattice wall to the side of a lattice patio cover. I strategically positioned a patio cover to block the view from a neighbor’s second-story bedroom window on the south. I also placed a lattice wall nearest the property line to block the view of the neighbor’s backyard to the north. I planted snail vines to fill it in and enhance the natural look of the patio area at the same time. I also planted Leyland Cypress along the rest of the fence to create total privacy, once they were full-grown. I went back to see it about 5 years later, and it was magnificent! Just as I had imagined it would be after all the plants were full-grown. Total privacy and lush greenery.
8. Work the fences
Since fences in a small yard will be closer and more visible than those in a larger one, use that to your advantage.
Besides adding a lot of shrubs and trees, it’s hard to hide fences in a small garden. But there is a way that is inexpensive and effective. And it adds depth and a more natural look. Have you guessed it? Yes, climbing, creeping plants that affix themselves to fences, walls, and other vertical structures. One of my favorites is the creeping fig. Once it gets started, it spreads fast and thoroughly. In a few years, it can turn a block wall into a green hillside.
9. Get wet
Adding a pond is a rare consideration for many people when it comes to a small garden. Although they can take up a significant percentage of the space, they can transform your garden into a majestic environment.
If you have a tiny space, you can add rock to a block fence or house wall to create a backdrop. This will allow the pond to be more compact while still looking proportional.
10. Prepare for glory
The most significant factor for success is preparing the area for the landscape and garden. This means removing unwanted vegetation and other material, grading for desired elevations and proper drainage, and tilling and amending the soil. This represents a large portion of the total labor and is the most challenging but crucial step. Get this done right, the rest of the job will go smoothly, and your shrubs, trees, and other vegetation will flourish!
Since you’re working with a small garden, you can likely afford to do this right.
If you want a magnificent garden, invest in a soil test, needed soil amendments, and as much premixed soil as required. You can get premixed soil delivered in many areas if you need a lot.
This investment is the golden key to having those glorious moments in the new small garden that you envision.
11. Automate your water
Installing an automatic watering system is a must. They don’t forget when and how much to water, and they do their job even when you’re on vacation.
Just be sure you have 100 percent coverage. Don’t be overly conservative about how many sprinkler or drip heads you install. Having a little over coverage in other zones is better than dead groundcover, shrubs, or trees.
If you get imaginative, you can create a miniature version of the water show at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. I did this in the backyard of a house I once owned.
12. Water with micros
In small spaces, you might want to use micro sprinkler or drip heads for plants that don’t require much water, such as succulents and cacti.
They come with different spray types and patterns. Some have a tiny valve handle to adjust the water volume.
13. Install outdoor air conditioning
Adding misters along the edge of your patio cover can lower the temperature and create a cool visual.
Esthetically, misters create a rainforest or resort look and feel.
14. Rock your world
Rocks add beauty and naturalness to any landscape. I think I’ve used them in every landscape I’ve ever done.
I particularly like using large rocks to accent planter areas to enhance the natural look. I also like using stones and pebbles to create dry creeks and ponds.
Rocks can be used to build a planter area, a retaining wall, a waterfall, a pond, and more. They can also hide and protect control boxes, garden lights, landscape speakers, and sprinklers.
15. Light your masterpiece
Low-voltage garden lights add a lot of beauty to a nighttime landscape. It’s nearly impossible to appreciate a beautiful garden at night without them.
Garden lights should highlight exceptional features in your garden, such as special shrubs and trees, statues, ponds, waterfalls, and more.
If you can find solar garden lights that do a sufficient job, I’d go with them.
16. Punctuate with sound
I’m unsure how wind chimes do it, but I love them. I suppose that is the combination of the pleasing sounds and the distinct rhythm that only a gentle breeze can create.
Waterfalls also produce very relaxing sounds that remind us of nature. Since their sound is very consistent, they can be used to cancel out noise at a similar decibel level, like distant automobile traffic.
I’m not a big fan of garden speakers unless what is being played contributes to the natural or meditative feel of the garden. This would include nature sounds, singing birds, and soft instrumental new-age and classical music. Anything else ruins the ambiance of a beautifully landscaped garden. Call me old-fashioned, but I’ve felt that way since my early 20s.
17. Shun the grass
Although I love the smell, look, and feel of grass, I don’t like it in home landscapes. I have never installed it in a garden of any size.
Here are the reasons I don’t like grass.
- There are better choices.
- It consumes a disproportionately large amount of water.
- It requires mandatory mowing, edging, and sweeping every 1-2 weeks.
- It is hard to remove and prevent regrowth if you change your mind.
- It attracts unwanted pests.
If you need a lawn, go to a park or a public athletic field.
“Where does my dog do his/her business?” you say. Dogs don’t have to have a lawn for this. We taught them to use a lawn by filling 90 percent of our yards with this material.
18. Be a brainiac buyer
Here are the most common things people overlook when they buy a plant, groundcover, or tree.
- It doesn’t do well in their part of the world.
- It doesn’t do well with the sun exposure where it will be planted.
- It doesn’t do well in the type and condition of the soil where it will be planted.
- It grows much larger than the allocated space and the buyer’s expectations.
To ensure you’re picking the right plants, get a copy of the “Sunset Western Garden Book.” This book is known as the garden bible and contains a wealth of information on every aspect of gardening. You can also find a reputable online resource that you can refer to regularly.
Get into the habit of reading the labels attached to most plants. They usually tell you how big the plant or tree will get and what sun exposure it does best in.
Here’s another thing to keep in mind. Just because a plant is at your local garden center does not necessarily mean it will survive in your climate. I know it doesn’t make any sense but it’s true, especially at national big-box chain stores.
19. Fall in love with dwarfs
Since it’s a small garden, you must determine how big each shrub and tree will grow before you buy them. Check the plant’s label or refer to books like the Sunset Western Garden Book or a reputable site on the Internet.
Not determining how big a shrub or tree will be when fully grown is a common mistake. In a small garden, this outcome can easily destroy your intended design.
One way to ensure that the plants you pick will fit in your small garden even when full-grown is by selecting dwarfs. A broad spectrum of commonly used plants often has dwarf varieties. A good example of this is the agapanthus or Lilly of the Nile. Its dwarf variety is the Peter Pan. Another dwarf I regularly use in tropical landscapes is the pygmy date palm or phoenix roebelenii. Although they can grow 8-10 feet tall, they are much shorter than most palms. They grow very slowly and are beautiful. It’s one of my favorites.
20. Maintain your creation
Be sure to install a thorough irrigation system with an automatic timer. This will ensure your plants get adequate water even when you’re away.
Be sure to feed your plants as the instructions indicate to keep them beautiful and healthy.
You’ll also need to watch for pests and diseases. Much of this can be determined by periodic close inspections of both sides of leaves in different parts of the plant. If you find something, take a sample to your local garden center or do some research on the Internet. Natural, non-toxic, organic methods are highly recommended.
Periodic pruning and trimming are particularly important in a small garden since everything is closer and space is limited. With pruning, you can control the size, shape, and direction of the growth. Trimming keeps them to the size and shape you want. Trimming is also a way of maintaining the overall design of your garden.
I’ve always enjoyed pruning and trimming because they can have such an immediate impact on a garden’s appearance. It’s like being a garden sculptor. Put on some classical music, grab a cup of “green” tea, and be Michelangelo for a few hours.
21. Sign your work
My signature has always been a gorgeous rock in a highly select location.
Pick your most meaningful landscape feature and make it yours by putting it in the perfect place.
Your signature landscaping feature should be significant enough to draw the attention of other garden lovers. Those who are not gardening enthusiasts will probably not notice.
Have fun with this.
22. Enjoy with variety
I’ve seen many people spend a lot of money and time creating their dream garden, but rarely spend time in it. Some only look into it through a window.
I suggest that you enjoy it in various ways, including the unusual. Have breakfast and dinner in your garden during the summer. Go out there before dawn and watch the sunrise. Sit in it and reflect at sunset. Have barbecues, brunches, high tea, and other social functions in your small garden. Most importantly, use it regularly as your private sanctuary.
23. Get green thumbs
Having a green thumb is easy if you follow these simple tips from my horticulture professor.
- If a plant’s leaves turn yellow or brown and/or begin to droop, the problem is one of these three things.
- Too much water or not enough water.
- Too much sun or not enough sun.
- Too much food or not enough food.
- If you get into the habit of looking at plants carefully, you’ll develop the ability to determine what they may need. Do they droop? Are they the right color? Is their color bright? Are there indications of pests? Are there indications of diseases?
***
Now you’re ready to create your small garden paradise.