Landscaping Ideas for a Small Outdoor Area

Small outdoor areas can look charming with the right landscaping.

Whether your entire property is small, or you need to landscape a small area separately from your overall garden design, such as around your garden shed, plenty of landscaping ideas work well for a small space.

Play With Scale

Smaller plants work best in a small outdoor area, but you can also achieve bold effects by adding a single large element, such as a mature rhododendron, and surrounding it with smaller-scale plants. Also consider using a single large planter as a focal point, with some tall flowers such as cannas.

Try Miniature Plants

Landscaping for a small area can look especially charming with small-scale plants. Try growing a miniature rose garden, or landscaping with small evergreens. Plants with tiny flowers, such as ground ivy, can also make a great addition to a miniature plant garden.

Add Seating

A small space doesn't mean you can't have a seating area. Pave a small spot, and place a small cafe table with chairs in this mini-patio. Edge on two sides with low rectangular planters filled with small annuals such as impatiens or marigolds. Add small evergreens to the corners for a polished look.

Use Hardscaping

Hardscaping should also pay attention to the scale of the outdoor space. Pave a patio area or create walkways with bricks or cobblestones for a country cottage look, rather than using large fieldstones. Retaining walls can use similarly small-scale building materials, or, if larger concrete blocks are the only material available, break up the solid look of the wall by training vines on it.

References

• Plant-Care: Small Yard Landscaping
• The Landscape Design Site: Small Garden Landscape Ideas