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Landscaping Small Yard - How To Get The Most Out of Your Space
By Tom Hoff
Lead landscape designer of Modern Landscape
Landscaping a small yard can be a challenge.
How do you make the best use of the space that remains around your house while accommodating multiple functions like a personal retreat, play area, and entertaining patio for example?
It can be done , in as little as 600sq.ft.
A small yard needs focal points, especially if they don't have sweeping views over the back fence. A great water feature, a simple urn, or a garden sculpture can serve that purpose. Pay attention to details; they show more in small spaces.
Indulge in premium materials like pavers, art pieces, tiles, furnishings for highly visible areas. Use vertical plants such as climbing roses and other vines to soften peripheral walls.
Finally, keep the color scheme restrained.
Choose a strong color, red for example, and use it judiciously. Then add one or two colors to harmonize with it. Repeat that color in tiles or pillows that accent the patio. Or choose all one color that is easy on the eyes, like white, and play it off foliage in silvery gray and deep shades.
Here are a few techniques that I use for landscaping a small yard to make them feel a bit larger.
Creating Illusions of a Larger Area
Use trees, vines, and shrubs to obscure the fences and walls that define your property. You can also imply that there is more beyond, by constructing a pathway that disappears around the bend.
Change Levels
A new level, even if it's just a few inches, offers a different perspective which creates the illusion of greater space. Consider raising or lowering patios or creating gentle mounds and depressions.
Plant in Layers
If you plant vines against the wall and then add plants in front of them, this will create layering, making the space appear multidimensional.
Use Water As a Reflector
Finding space in a small garden for a water feature isn't always easy. But even the tiniest ponds and pools can make a garden appear larger by adding the illusion of depth by reflecting the sky and surrounding surfaces.
Paving Patterns
Paving set on a diagonal or a path stamped or colored with bold diamond shapes can make a garden seem deeper than it really is. Boldly curving paths keep the eye from racing the borders of the property.
Consider a small café table and a pair of chairs, a wall fountain, or miniature art gallery like an array of colorful hand crafted birdhouses hung on the wall.
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