31 Small Garden Layout Ideas to Consider

No matter what you want to do with your small outdoor space, you’ll find inspiration below.

1. PLAN THE LAYOUT TO PERFECTION

Focal points can be created using sculptures, water features or interesting planting.’ -Before landscaping a small garden, Rachel Crow, Homes & Gardens’ Gardens Editor, advises to plan the location of seating and lounging areas. -She suggests to set these areas back, so they are not protruding onto walkways and terraces, in order to create focal points using sculptures, water features, or interesting planting.

Sit in your garden to determine where the sun and shade fall throughout the day, then position your seating accordingly.

2. PICK A ONE-COLOR SCHEME

One-color planting schemes can make tiny spaces feel sleekly designed, less chaotic, and calmer, says Lucy Searle, Editor in Chief of Homes & Gardens.

We can make small garden ideas seem larger by keeping them minimally furnished and to a limited color scheme, just like we do with small rooms in our homes.

3. USE REPETITION TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

Use repetition to make your small garden feel well-designed, balanced, and cohesive.

What is the benefit of repetition in design? According to Jennifer Ebert Homes & Gardens’ Digital Editor, repetition in design can create a pleasing and uniform look. By repeating colors, furniture, or plant varieties, designers can achieve a smart-looking space.

4. DEVOTE ATTENTION TO AN OUTDOOR LIVING SPACE

Eventual seating should not overshadow the planting, and ideally you should have enough space to accommodate both. Choose wisely and you can have the best of both worlds – a great garden for entertaining and relaxing that also happens to be stylish and attractive. More attention should be given to outdoor living room ideas in a small garden than in a large one. It may be that you have little room for both planting and seating, so seating, surrounded by space-savvy container planting or borders is a real must. Plus, since your small garden is going to be very visible from indoors, it’s important to get this space just right. Eventual seating shouldn’t overshadow the planting, and you should have enough space to accommodate both. Choose wisely and you can have a great garden for entertaining and relaxing that’s also stylish and attractive.

According to Rachel Crow, you should choose simple furniture that doesn’t stick out and clash with the style of your landscaping. To complete the look, add cushions that match the colors of the flowers and plants nearby.

5. STEAL ELEMENTS OF THE COTTAGE GARDEN STYLE

Cottage gardens are typically designed for small spaces, with an abundance of bright colors and a mix of vegetables, fruit, and flowers planted close together in borders.

“Cottage garden style flower beds will bring a lot of variety to small gardens,” says Melanie Griffiths, editor of Period Living magazine and one of Homes & Gardens’ gardening experts. “But you can use other cottage garden concepts, like arbors, to add vertical interest. This is a great way to make small gardens more impactful.”

6. TURN A SMALL GARDEN INTO A LEISURE ZONE

The most important element in small garden design depends on what the garden will be used for.

If you think pools are too big for your space, you can still create the perfect pool area, seating area, or dining area while making your space feel green.

7. USE A TRELLIS TO HELP YOU BORROW A VIEW

Trellises are a good choice for small gardens because they provide privacy without feeling solid or overwhelming. They also let you enjoy a beautiful view while disguising unsightly features like compost bins.

8. DIVIDE A SMALL GARDEN INTO ROOMS

If you want your garden to feel bigger, try dividing it into “rooms” with different flooring or overhead treatments. This will create different zones without using visible barriers. For example, you could use climbers to create shade and privacy.

Rachel Crow suggests using living walls and decorative filigree screens to create shelter and enhance privacy.

9. ZONE A SMALL GARDEN WITH DECKING

Decks can help to divide up small gardens into different areas, which can make the space feel more organized, useful, and even slightly larger.

10. ADD COLOR WITH PRETTY PAINTWORK

If you want to change the look of your backyard without spending a lot of money, get some outdoor paint. Painting wood that is not loved can make a big difference in your small backyard ideas, turning an unappealing fence or shed into a beautiful backdrop.

Choose lighter colors to make a small garden feel brighter and more open. Going bold with your color choices will create a more serious, dramatic look.

11. MAKE SPACE FOR A ROCK GARDEN

Although rockeries may not be the most modern water feature idea, their ability to be scaled makes them one of the easiest to incorporate into smaller spaces.

A small rock garden can add a sense of wonder to the garden and provide a relaxing ambient soundtrack of rippling water.

12. DEDICATE A FLOWER BED TO EDIBLES

If you’re a keen cook, consider growing your own food in a vegetable patch. You don’t need a lot of space to do this, just an area of your garden dedicated to edible plants.

Some great ideas for small vegetable gardens include chilies, runner beans, and tomatoes because they all offer high yields in a small space. If you’re really short on square footage, potted herbs can be stacked up on outdoor shelving.

If you’re having trouble getting your plants to grow well, it might help to know how to add calcium to the soil. This simple technique (which often involves using cracked eggs) can help keep your plants healthy and strong. Calcium helps create strong cell walls, which makes the plant less likely to get bent out of shape or attacked by diseases or pests. This is especially important for small vegetable gardens and flower beds.

13. NO GRASS, NO PROBLEM

If you swap turf for a patio, you don’t have to get rid of all your greenery. You can still have a beautiful, low-maintenance garden if you make the patio your focal point. This way, you can focus on adding a variety of different plants to your space.

14. KEEP IT SIMPLE IN A SMALL GARDEN

Don’t go overboard when planning a small garden. Sometimes using a limited number of select materials and plants is more satisfying.

Although you should be mindful of making your space too cluttered, you can still be adventurous and experimental.

15. PLANT SMART IN TINY SPACES

Your choice of plants is essential when you have a smaller garden. You don’t want to use plants that will spread out and take over the space.

You should not only plant around fencing and boundary walls, but also useful plants like the evergreen climber Trachelospermum Jasminoides, commonly known as star jasmine. It will offer year-round interest with an abundance of white flowers from mid to late summer.

16. CREATE A COHERENT GARDEN DESIGN

If you have a small garden, it is important to have a design for it. A small, messy garden will look even smaller. Start with a simple, geometric layout and a fence around the perimeter, and your garden will look much better.

17. TINY SPACE? GROW THINGS IN RAISED BEDS ON WHEELS

If your garden is too small for a permanent raised bed, you can make a mobile one by adding wheels to the bottom. This is a good solution if your plot is so small that you can only access a fixed raised bed from one side, which can be bad for your back. You can buy caster wheels on Amazon and fit them to a container of your choice.

18. MAKE A RAISED BED A CENTERPIECE IN A SMALL YARD

You can have a vegetable garden in a small backyard by being clever about the design. You can control what you grow by making raised beds and adding a paved path.

19. CLAD YOUR RAISED BEDS TO ADD MORE INTEREST

Not everyone enjoys the appearance of classic wooden raised garden beds. If you would prefer something different, you have the option to clad your bed. There are many different materials and appearances to select from, including metal, stone, and wicker for a relaxed, rustic aesthetic.

20. GROW VEG IN TEMPORARY CONTAINERS

You can grow vegetables almost anywhere, including on your window sill, balcony, or even just in a spot in your garden. Growing your own food is a great way to get fresh vegetables, and it doesn’t have to be difficult or require a lot of space.

You can use inexpensive planters or recycle something you have at home.

21. CREATE AN EDIBLE BORDER

The text is saying that you can have a garden even if you don’t have a lot of outdoor space, and that you can grow vegetables even if you only have a sunny border. If you don’t have any soil, you can build a raised bed.

22. INCLUDE A HERB STOP

Squeezing a herb garden station into a covered patio or balcony space is a great idea because it is so lovely and fragrant that you will forget how small it is.

23. KEEP GARDEN PATHS NEAT AND DEFINED

You should still include all the features of a large garden in a small one, such as paths, fencing, and outbuildings. Don’t sacrifice paths for the sake of aesthetics—you need to be able to move around freely. Choose garden path ideas that are both functional and attractive.

24. KEEP VEG WITHIN REACH OF THE KITCHEN DOOR

If you grow fruit, vegetables, and herbs near your kitchen door, you can easily pick them when they are ripe and still have a beautiful garden.

25. ENHANCE A SMALL GARDEN DESIGN WITH FORMAL ELEMENTS

For those of you who want to grow your own food but don’t want a rustic garden, there is good news. You can have a more formal-looking garden and still grow plenty of vegetables. Choose nicer paving and put a few sculpturesque plants around, like cypress or box hedge, and you’ll have a space that looks great and is also functional.

26. POT UP IN A SMALL GARDEN 

Pots and planters come in all different shapes and sizes, so you can find ones that fit your garden perfectly. If you want to make a big impact, go for large pots and planters. Not only will they make your plants look fuller and healthier, but you won’t have to water them as often.

Pots allow for more flexibility in smaller gardens and are perfect for balcony gardens where there is no space for planting beds.

Pots can be placed around the dining terrace and moved as needed. The plants in the pots can also be changed seasonally.

27. CREATE INTEREST WITH A WATER FEATURE

Focal points are important in landscaping because they can addinterest and dimension to a yard. Introducing focal points canbe done by adding sculpture, water features, specimen trees,or even an outdoor fireplace. By adding these features, itwill help to create a space that is both unique and inviting.

Some design elements are best placed as the centerpieces of a design, while others are better suited to being tucked away within the planting, so that they are only noticed when you enter the garden.

28. CONTAIN INVASIVE CROPS

If you’re thinking about growing mint, be aware that it can quickly take over your entire garden if you don’t contain it. To prevent your garden from becoming a monoculture, make sure to pot your mint plants.

29. LIGHT RIGHT 

Dan Bowyer from Fisher Tomlin & Bowyer explains how specified outdoor lighting can change small spaces: ‘ Lighting certain areas and focal points will make them more interesting and provide a backdrop to the house all year round, even when you are not in the garden.’

He advises not to light the whole space, as areas of darkness are essential to the success of a garden lighting scheme.

30. CREATE A SHADY CORNER

When you think about a shaded spot, think about the experience of sight, sound, and scent.

Trees are perfect for providing shade and blocking out the sun, and can be easily trimmed to fit your needs.

Some good trees for a small garden are bay trees, Euonymus Japanese maples, and Magnolia Christmas berry trees.

31. GO UNDERGROUND

Try to create a sunken garden in an area of your garden that is either overlooked or exposed. This type of garden is a great retreat, and is especially useful if you live in an urban area where boundary fences may cast unwanted shade.

If you want to create more privacy in your garden, try lowering your terrace by 45 cm. If you want to go even lower, ask a landscape architect to check the water table level first and advise you on drainage. Another idea for a sloping garden is to carve out terraces and create an outdoor room on the lowest level.