Not everyone’s backyard can be the size of a football field. That doesn’t mean you can’t take the small patch of land you own behind your home and turn it into the garden of a lifetime. Beautiful landscapes have a way making our lives just a little bit calmer and a lot happier. This is why we are so passionate about gardening.
One thing we’ve learned in our quest to become excellent gardeners, and human beings, is that the amount of space you have in your life doesn’t matter as long as you can make it your own. Don’t be shy about creating paths no matter how small. Even in the winter, these paths will be easier to clear with these snow blowers made precisely for smaller jobs.
Plan It
Just as you would do with any big project, you don’t want to jump in blind and start building things. Even if your yard is the smallest in the neighborhood, creating a landscape scheme takes work so it’s always a good idea to jot a few pieces of information down.
For example, how much square footage does your yard hold? Is it filled with grass or concrete? Is your yard surrounded by a fence or is it open? Just looking around with a pencil and pad of paper can help you visualize what you want.
Next, get out the tape measure or yard stick. If you don’t know the square footage then find out. This way you won’t go out and purchase something that won’t fit in your yard. Other items you should get are some gardening gloves and a hand shovel if you plan on planting and replanting as you go.
Give Each Space A Purpose
In each corner of your yard is a potential area to do whatever you wish. No, the space you have to work with isn’t that big but, with a little imagination, you can do all sorts of things back there. One idea is to designate one area for outdoor sitting. You can get a nice round table with a few chairs. This is for eating, reading, or just plain hanging out.
Another corner of your yard could benefit from a plain wooden table. This could be your planting area, where you keep your clay pots and bags of soil. Another corner could be your compost, and all along each place you can stack pots and plant enough to make your small yard feel like a jungle.
Giving each square inch of your yard something to do, even it’s only purpose is to provide a path to walk on while you enjoy your landscape designs.
Climb High
With a small yard there is limited space to utilize in your yard, at least horizontally. But, with shelves, trellises, and fences your options for places to store toys, outdoor supplies, and pots filled with foliage doubles. Herb gardens can be fastened directly to the inner portion of your fence. If you don’t have a fence get some wooden crates or outdoor shelving. Thrift stores are filled with things people are looking to get rid of.
The idea here is to build up. This can be done with hanging plants, which come in all sorts of varieties including vegetation like tomatoes.
Mirrors
These little devices are one of the best ways to create the image of a larger space out fo a small one. When you are searching for mirrors to add to the inside portion of your fence remember that these will need to survive the elements. There are mirrors that can fog or become warped when exposed to extreme temperatures.
Remember though, you don’t need a ton of mirrors and antique looking options would most likely work best. After you secure a few along your fence, as you walk through, you will notice how the reflection of your yard in the mirror will make it feel much larger.
No Grass? No Problem
If you don’t have grass in your backyard, or far too little to be overly concerned with, it doesn’t mean you are limited to landscaping beauty. You don’t need to add any grass if your yard is just a slab of concrete. Just follow our earlier advice and start planting up.
You can get creative with stone paths moving through planters stacked on crates around your yard. Another cute addition could e an old bicycle with a basket and even a wheelbarrow.
Hide It
Along the same lines as a Murphy Bed, you can create a table, or bar top, that fastens to the side of a shed or your home. That way, when you have guests, you can take it down but, if you aren’t in need, you can leave it up.
This can be created with an old door and some hinges, or you can build one yourself with weather treated wood. If you have a very small space you can use this Murphy table idea and use it for planting each season and free up an entire corner of your small yard.
Conclusion
With these tips you should be able to take that small yard of yours and create a space that is a pleasure for you and your loved ones to hang out in. One last thought, all of these spaces can be changed over time, which is the fun of landscaping.
