You Can Make a Tiny Yard so Much Bigger
Planning a garden or patio that is both functional and beautiful can be difficult if your backyard is small. Creating an outdoor space that feels spacious and airy may seem impossible if you’re short on space, but there are a number of things you can do to achieve a greater feel, even if your square footage is limited. Here are six ways to give your small backyard a spacious feel.
Add layers
By layering plants, you can create a sense of depth while taking up less space. Plant them in layers by size, starting with the shortest in front and ending with the tallest in the back. Place a grassy border around a walkway or patio and use a trellis to create height. The trellis can also form an arch or screen to hide adjacent buildings, or hedges to act as a barrier between adjacent yards.
Let the light in
If you want fewer people in your garden, be sure to let the light through. Don’t install tall plants or trellises on each side of the yard so they don’t block too much natural light. Trim trees and shrubs regularly to keep sunlight out. If you don’t always get a lot of sun, place string lights, solar road lights, and other little twinkling elements here and there to make the space seem bigger even at night.
Keep furniture to scale
Choose and arrange seating to match the scale of your space. If your yard is small, use smaller furniture and add tables and other fixtures sparingly so it doesn’t look cluttered. Approach your outdoor furniture planning from a minimalist perspective, leaving only the items you use and love the most.
Keep your plants to scale
Smaller versions of larger plants will give your yard the same character without taking up much space. Consider younger versions of evergreen shrubs such as dwarf spruce or bird’s nest spruce ; these options give you vibrant greenery and overall bush shape, but are much smaller than their full-sized counterparts. ( Hydrangeas and blueberry bushes also come in tiny sizes.)
Add lots of texture
Adding texture to your yard is a good way to make it look bigger, even if you only have a small space for textured plants. Choosing gap-loving species such as sedum or auburieta (blue cascade) for stone walls, stone step paths, or any rocky terrain can help add dimension to your space. Plants such as dichondra (silver waterfall) or creeping cedar will also creep or cascade along the edges and spread out their textured leaves. You can also use gravel for paths or as bedding to make the surface look softer and more textured.
Use lots of curves and soft shapes
Incorporating softer shapes and curves when designing plant landscapes, and even when choosing furniture and lighting fixtures, can help your small space feel bigger. Use sculpted hedges like topiary to create curved lines, and choose plants that have naturally curved features like hostas . Creating a curved path or growing long creeping plants to form airy curves will also help, and rounder shapes will also help your plants look layered rather than flat.