How to Make the Most of a Small Garden

You don’t need a sprawling garden to create a little slice of paradise – even the tiniest patch of green can become a lush, vibrant haven! So, whether you have a small garden, a petite patio, or a cosy balcony, there are countless ways to imbue a tiny space with life and colour. It’s all about making the most of what you’ve got, thinking creatively, and embracing the charm of a small garden design!

In this article, we will talk through our favourite small garden ideas to help you bring your gardening dreams to life. So, before you grab your trusty trowel, read our small garden tips, below.

While you may think that the limited square footage of a small garden design might hold back your horticultural ambitions, vertical planters can help you put your green thumb to the test. Placed against a garden wall or balcony partition, vertical planters work exactly how they sound: you plant upwards rather than in a garden bed. What’s more, these non-permanent fixtures can easily be moved, making them ideal for renters who may want to take their favourite flowers to the next property.   

And for those looking for very small garden ideas on a budget, you don’t even have to buy a brand new vertical planter. Rather, you can save money by turning an old palette into a makeshift planter. Hang boxes, secure pots, and then customise your homemade planter with paint or varnish to match the style of your small garden. Easy!

Looking for more small garden inspiration to bring beautiful bouquets to life? Container planting could be just the ticket! It’s just as simple as it sounds. With this small garden design idea, all you need to do is find pots or containers of various sizes to grow a variety of plants, flowers, and even herbs in your limited space. If the plant fits, it sits!

One of the best things about this small garden idea is that it’s super easy to rearrange your horticultural creations as you see fit. Experiment with different layouts for your containers and pots to find an eye-catching colour scheme that truly makes your small garden pop. You can even find low maintenance winter plants to continue the colour during those colder months!

Whether you want to take full advantage of the warmer evenings in the spring or refuse to be cowed by the shorter days of autumn, choosing the right lighting for your small garden can have a big impact! For this particular modern small garden idea, we recommend opting for softer lighting, which helps to diffuse harsh shadows and create a warmer vibe. Hang fairy lights along hedges, around trees, or even over garden furniture to create a truly charming ambience. If you are working with a balcony, then you can wrap a string of lights around your railing.  

If you don’t have access to an outdoor power socket or want to save energy, opt for solar-powered outdoor lights. With this low maintenance small garden idea, the lights will recharge themselves every day, meaning you don’t need to worry about expensive electricity bills!

When working with a small garden design, you have to get creative with the furniture. After all, the deck chairs, bistro sets, and tool sheds are going to take up the most square footage – so you need to double up, where possible.

For example, you can opt for garden furniture with built-in storage, providing both comfy seating and a handy place to store gardening tools, cushions, and other outdoor items. This keeps your small garden clutter-free, while also removing the need for a tool shed too! Foldable tables and chairs are another great small garden idea, as you can store them

A garden never looks smaller than when the grass is unkept and overgrown. That’s why our final small garden idea is really straightforward: mow your lawn regularly. In general, cutting your grass to a shorter length is one of the best ways to create the illusion of a larger garden. And, as an extra little sprinkle of small garden inspiration, try mowing your lawn in diagonal lines, as this pattern creates a perception of depth to make your garden look bigger.  Just remember to dispose of your grass clippings properly once you’re done!

To make this small garden idea much easier to put into action, you’ll need the right tools for the job. We recommend investing in a good cordless lawnmower to make short work of overgrown grass, while a cordless grass trimmer is great for keeping that lawn neat and tidy.

Looking for more small garden inspiration or ways to keep on top of lawn maintenance? Head over to our gardening blog, which is full of helpful guides and articles. You can also check out our full collection of gardening tools, from robot lawnmowers to cordless hedge trimmers.