Do you have a small garden and are not happy with it? Well, don’t be disheartened! You can make your small garden an intimate space with some careful thought. You need to be a little careful about what kind of plants and hardscape features you choose. You can still show variety even if space is sparse. The key is not to want to make it seem big. Rather what you should be doing is exploiting the charm of a small space. Here, we have given you some inspiring tips on how you can design your small garden and make it your favorite space –

The very first thing you need to remember is that your garden needs to make you feel nice and comfortable. A very hi-fi garden or extremely well-designed one may not necessarily make you feel positive or nice about yourself. So do something that gives you a positive space.

How to use the space in your small garden?

• The key to making your garden look more spacious is to maintain neat and clean lines. If you put in some furniture, it needs to be basic, comfortable, and with neutral colors.
  

• Use small and simple furniture in your garden and make it sociable. You can even use some throw cushions which look very inviting and can be easily put away in storage when not needed.

• The most ultimate form of relaxation and comfort will be a hammock if your space allows it. Or maybe even a small swing or hammock cane sofa.
  

• Old colorful curtains or large cloth can be used to create a Bohemian shade. Though it may not last long in the Sun, or you may need to take it down often.

• If you have any kind of fencing or boundary walls, you need to paint them in neutral colors. This gives the feel of more light and makes space look larger. If you do not have the budget for fencing, what you could do is use mismatched paints, which would give it a rustic and a very hip look.
  

• Using recycled materials is a great idea for a home project and keeping your garden look rustic and quaint.
  

• It would be preferable to have longer grass on your lawn; about 30mm, which allows for foot traffic and gives you a wider look at the garden. Then again, in small spaces, it becomes very difficult to maintain a natural lawn. You could go in for artificial lawns. This is a great alternative, gives you a long life, and is also easier to maintain.

• Don’t forget, and you can also think vertically. All plants do not have to be on the ground. You can use the walls too. You can use old boxes or pots and fix them onto your walls of the garden. That gives you variety and something very different. If you have a wall, you can create different kinds of shapes of shelves for your plants and create a focal point.
  

• One could even think about climbing vines or trellises. If you use flowering plants, it looks lovely.
  

• You could even try out living walls or what we call green walls. These were mostly used in commercial sites. But now, they’ve found their way into residential gardens too. They especially work well in small gardens. It’s basically a vertical garden where plants are planted into a structure, and that is then attached on to a wall.
  

• If you have kids and if space allows, you can add more color by adding a small play area. This way, your children have their own space, benefit from the greens, and the outside fresh air.
  

How to choose the right kind of plants?

• Plants that have bold foliages work well for small spaces. Their forms bring in bulk and the right kind of interest. The best part is that they look good during the day or night.
  

• Hence, it is best to keep at least a small part of the garden with evergreen plants, which would be with you year-round and would require less maintenance.
  

What should you avoid?

When you have a small space, you tend to clutter it up with too many things. This is exactly what you need to avoid. In a small garden, do not place too many small pots and decorations. Instead, you can do something that will have more impact like placing a few oversized planters here and there. Remember to buy best organic seeds for planting.

You need to avoid plants that grow too fast. Or if they do, you will need to spend a lot of time and energy in maintaining them.

With a small space, you tend to bring in too much variety. That might create confusion and clutter for the eyes. You need to create one theme. So choose one plant and repeat it. That gives a calming effect for the eyes. Too much variety can cause chaos. There needs to be the right kind of balance.