Gardening for Small Spaces

Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 8:49 pm

Balcony with flowers Gardening in small spaces can be challenging. Yet, even a very small area can be used to create a lush, appealing garden. It just requires a little thought and planning.

It doesn't matter if you have only a balcony to work with, you can still have a garden. Townhouses with small privacy-fenced back yards can be easily landscaped. Patio gardens can be planned to look fabulous. And, if you have a small back yard, you will have no problem at all creating a lovely garden.

Careful planning and efficient utilization of available space is important when gardening in small spaces. Here are some steps to creating the perfect garden in a small space:

Define Functional Areas: You need to determine what activities will occur in the garden area and plan around them. In fact, place any outdoor furniture, benches, the grill, statues, or other items in the space before determining your garden layout. You certainly don't want to learn that your [gardening] efforts failed to leave enough room for the table and chairs you already own.

Grow Up: Having little ground space does not mean you have little space. Think in three dimensions. Hanging baskets of beautiful specimens can grow above plants that remain lower than the height of the hangings when mature. Multi-tier planters allow you to plant several levels of plants in long, narrow planters, creative a great stair-step look.

Multi-Task: If you have a tree or large, tall specimen plant to work either, whether in a large pot or in the ground, use the area under the canopy to plant attractive ground covers. Most ground covers have shallow root systems. Ground ivy, when planted in the top of a large top containing a large ficus or other specimen, is very attractive when the tendrils are allowed to drape over the sides of the pot.

Double Duty: If you are working with an especially small garden area, choose items which can be used in two ways. For example, seating and containing a plant or side table and plant container. There are many all-weather benches and seating available which contain planters at each end. These make the seating area feel extremely cozy. Choose a planter with a wide top lip to provide room to place a drink while sitting in your small garden or place a tray on the corner of a large square planter to use as a drink holder.

Window Boxes: If you are limited to only a patio or balcony, you can place window boxes on both sides of the safety rails to provide a gardening space. Then place smaller plants in containers below the raised boxes.