Garden design in awkward spaces

Dan Bowyer gives some ideas on how to make the most of compact city garden spaces?

Do you have a tiny urban garden space that needs some inspiration? Dan has come up with a top 5 checklist of some ideas for you to inspire the way forward.

1. Make your garden part of the house

Bringing materials and design outside from the inside will help make the garden feel part of the house. It may be you use paint colours, materials or simply using plants where the flower colour compliments the interior. For paving we find that some of the new porcelain tiles are better than stone for using both inside and out.

2. Keep it simple

When designing a smaller garden it is important to not get too carried away, simple design with a carefully chosen palette of materials and plants are often the most satisfying. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t be adventurous and experimental, just be mindful that trying to squeeze everything into a smaller space often becomes cluttered and decrease the usability.

3. Lighting

There are often strong views from your house into a garden and so effective garden lighting can be really beneficial. Lighting specific areas and focal points in the garden will create interest and provide a backdrop to the house all year round, even at times when you are not in the garden.

4. Plants make the difference

The choice of planting is essential in all gardens but particularly in smaller gardens. It is important to use plants that will not overcrowd the space, however you also need to ensure you are not always looking at fencing or boundary walls. A really useful plant in small sunny gardens is the evergreen climber Trachelospermum jasminoides which is commonly known as star jasmine, it will offer year round interest with an abundance of white flower from mid to late summer.

5. Pots and planters

Using plants in pots provides additional flexibility in certain smaller gardens. You are able to position the pots around your dining terrace when you are only having a small number of people but they can be relocated on occasions when you are having a larger gathering.