Stretching Small Gardens

Check out these tips for creating optical illusions and design strategies to stretch the smallest garden space.

All About

Product Ideas

Are you designing a small garden? Here's how you can achieve top form and function — and stretch the space:

Keep functionality in mind when designing a garden for a small yard. How do you want to use the space?
Choose a simple but elegant design that offers strong structure — architectural appeal, well-shaped trees, etc.

Think of a small garden as a courtyard — you want a surface that can handle a lot of traffic as well as please the eye. That may mean that you don't want to use grass.

Include forms and plants that offer vertical interest.

Every plant has to earn its keep in a small space, so choose plants that offer a show in more than one season. Include evergreens for winter interest.

Consider using a design that has a diagonal element.

Strong structures and simple designs are crucial in a small space so that the area doesn't look too busy.

Pay attention to details; choose high-quality materials and make sure the work is done well.

Elements that have a dual purpose are wonderful for the small garden: Here, planters double as seating areas.

Choose furniture that is light and airy.

Gardens designed on the diagonal stretch the space and draw your focus from one corner to the next.

Install lighting so that the nighttime garden looks good year-round.

Invest wisely in designing blank walls. Here, where the eye is drawn immediately to the back wall of a garage, latticework lends height, dimension and texture. Climbing plants and vines also help draw the eye upward.

Limit the number of different types of plants to avoid having the area look too busy.