With the right design strategies even the smallest of yards can be packed with interest and a great place to spend time. If yours needs a little TLC, follow our check list for a beautiful garden.
Tidy up
Make sure whatever outdoor space you have is looking its best for the season. Grab some time for gardening and tidy beds so favorite flowers aren’t competing with opportunistic weeds. Clear the edges of paths, too, to keep the shape of the space at its best.
Pic: Housing Units
Space enhancer
Mirrors aren’t just a solution for the interior of a home. Hang a garden mirror and your tiny yard will appear to lead on to a whole other landscape beyond it as it reflects the greenery opposite.
Pic: Argos
Outdoor living
Don’t just think about taking dining outside. A lounge set will mean you can turn the yard into an outdoor room for use all summer long. If you live in a region where the weather keeps you inside for many months, you’ll appreciate the extra space.
Pic: KSL Living
Take a seat
Invest in low cost seating for the yard that’s light and easy to move from sun to shade as needed. If your space is low on interest, patterned cubes like these can add some pep to your patch of the great outdoors.
Pic: Garden Trading
Group planters
Just like indoors, groups have plenty of decorative impact on a patio. For a more casual garden design, put together three planters in different sizes in a roughly triangular arrangement. Like a more formal garden? Pairs of pots will help create smart symmetry.
Pic: House of Bath
Light paths
When you’re using the yard late into the evening, it’s important to make sure paths are adequately lit. Solar lights are a budget-friendly solution for marking the way and picking out the edges of beds so everyone can move through the space safely.
Pic: Cuckooland
Go up
Tiny yard? Use vertical space to maximize the flowers and foliage on show. Buy – or put together if you’re handy – stepped plant stands to pack in prettiness. Try growing trees in containers, too – but make sure they’ll cope with the cold in winter where you live as the soil will get colder than it does in the ground.
Pic: Dotcomgiftshop
Party time
Create the perfect atmosphere for outdoor get-togethers by hanging colored lights this summer. Make sure you always choose designs made to go outside for safety.
Pic: Garden Trading
Stand tall
Tall blooms that start to droop make less of an impact. Adding metal supports will help them stay upright for a fabulous show of color.
Pic: MiaFleur
Instant revamp
If your patio’s looking weather-beaten and you don’t have time to give it a makeover, hide the evidence. An outdoor rug will cover up in style and help define a seating or dining area.