One of the critical skills that landscapers have when creating a landscape design is that they can do so regardless of the amount of space available in the garden they are working on. Whilst extensive gardens have their challenges, it is when they have to create a landscape design within a garden with limited space that landscape designers genuinely earn their money.
That is not to say that smaller gardens are the only time landscapers make the most of the available space, which means that homeowners can get the maximum return on their investment, and the most pleasure from their garden, regardless of its size. Landscapers achieve this using several landscape design techniques, some of which we have outlined below.
Use The Vertical Space
Although a small garden may have finite space horizontally as defined by the garden’s outer boundaries, in most cases, that will not apply vertically, where, quite literally, the sky is the limit. This means that, where possible, a landscape design for a small garden should maximise vertical space wherever feasible.
Some examples of using vertical space effectively include climbing plants by installing trellises, which can be plain or decorative to add additional colour. A vertical garden can produce just as much foliage, greenery, and colour as one grown at ground level.
Ingenious Storage Solutions
When space is at a premium, one of the most significant difficulties is creating enough storage for those items which should be kept in the garden rather than the house. This can include garden tools, BBQ accessories, and soft cushions for any seating.
This problem is overcome via effective landscape design by creating intelligent storage solutions. Examples include garden benches with storage within them. These storage boxes can double up as garden tables, vertical and slimline shelving, hooks on walls and fences, and using small, portable shelving units.
Mix Plants
One of the traits of extensive gardens is that they most often have multiple plant beds, which are each designated for a specific type of plant, such as flowers, shrubs, or ferns, and in the most extensive gardens, they might be for just one flower type, such as snake bush or fan flower.
Unfortunately, small gardens do not have the space to separate plants in this way, so the best solution is to have mixed plant beds if you want to have the maximum number of different plants and flowers in your landscape design. You can mix fast and slow-growing plants of various colours and intersperse them with fens and shrubs to create a stunning natural display.
Utilise A Multi-Level Design
This landscape design technique achieves two aims. Not only does it create additional space by building some features upwards, but it will also massively increase the feeling of more space within your garden when you are in it than there is.
How layers can be created are plentiful, with some of the more famous examples being:
- Steps Within Pathways
- Tiered Decking
- Multi-Level Planting
- Retaining Walls And Fencing
- Terracing Inclines
- Lighting Features
- Multi-Level Water Features
Making Spaces Multi-Use
Our final technique might not necessarily mean too much work about designing and creating them, but it is more for those using the garden to think creatively. What we mean is that within the spaces you have within your garden, make multiple uses of them.
For example, if you have a paved patio, it can be used to sit and relax, as a play area for children, or as a BBQ area whenever appropriate. Other practical ways to do this are to use as much portable furniture as possible and have lightweight ornaments to move if necessary.