When your entire “garden” is so small you feel embarassed calling it a garden (don’t be ashamed, I’m right there with ya!), you need to think creatively about using your space to get the most out of it, and to make it look bigger. Here are a few ideas I came up with to get you headed in the right direction:
Photo by London Permaculture
- Emphasize the view. If there is something interesting to look at just off of your balcony or patio, arrange your plants to “frame” that view. If you don’t have a view, but you just purchased an amazing piece of sculpture or have a really cute bird bath, arrange things so that visitors will immediately be drawn to it. A pergola, even a small one, can be used very effectively to create a view like this.
- Create a destination. This may sound crazy on a small balcony or patio, but I’m serious. Put a cafe table and a chair at one end and line the path to the table with pots filled with interesting and beautiful plants. If nothing else, you’ll have a charming few steps before you enjoy your morning coffee at the table and chair. Best case scenario, your destination and path will trick your brain into thinking you have a lot more outdoor space that you really have.
- Be smart about color. I’ve written about color in a small garden before, but another tip is to use bright colored plants in front of green, lush plants. It creates the impression of greater depth than there actually is.
- Create a distraction. Make the flooring so interesting that people are busy checking it out and don’t realize they’re on a tiny balcony. Or paint a wall an eccentric color that gets people talking about the color and not the small size of your space.
- Go GIANT. Try only using a few plants, but the ones you do select should have large leaves (I am thinking bananas and elephant ears). The large leaves will help mix up the scale and make your space seem larger too. Here is a container recipe featuring a banana plant, among others.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Great tips. My garden is so small that I feel drown among those big and so spacious (acres) ones. It seems that everyone else are having huge gardens except me. Sigh!
Well, this is very great info and I am happy to say that I lucked out and actually used one of your tips by planting colors in front of larger green plants. YEAH!
I especially like your tip about flooring or creating distractions and about framing the views. Those are really great points and very helpful for gardening in all kinds of small spaces.
The tip about using a couple large leaves is a good one, but should be done very carefully. It’s so easy to overwhelm a space (visually and otherwise!) with a plant whose leaves keep tipping into your walkway or table area! But you are totally right that big leaves can give you something big and bold to focus on.
I also like the tip about creating a destination, even on a small patio.
Blossom — You are definitely not alone! My gardening space is about 3 feet deep by six feet wide.
Julie — Maybe it wasn’t luck? Maybe you instinctually knew what looked good and what didn’t?!
Gen — You caution about using large leaved plants sparingly is a good one. Less is more!
I to think there is alot of mis-information on the internet relating to gardening. I think the best advice is taken from an experienced gardner and your own experimentation.