MAKE room!
GOOD GARDENS CAN COME IN SMALL PACKAGES
Because it rained a lot here in August − or at least it felt as if it did – I didn’t get out into our garden very often, apart from the bit directly outside the French doors when I was on my way to the car. Luckily that bit, which doubles as a courtyard and an entranceway, was recently refurbished and looks rather nice.
Having said that, it doesn’t sound exactly fabulous when I describe it.
It’s six metres by five metres, and contains the following:
• Some deck
• Some paving
• Some shelled areas
• Some white stones
• Two container plants
• A cane chair and table
• A cane picnic basket full of whatever surplus fruit we are trying to foist off on visitors
• An umbrella
• A bench seat that runs the length of the space
• A water feature
• Nine palm trees
• A six metre by 1200mm shelled garden with 18 plants and a few bits of decorative art in it and
• Four pairs of the Partner’s shoes, which live there because he’s going to wear them later.
Sounds awful, doesn’t it?
Far too many different materials, too many plants, too much stuff, not enough space.
Well, I would probably think the same had I heard that description and not experienced the reality. In fact, if someone had given me that list and told me to put all those things in my courtyard, I’d have thought they were mad.
But check out the photo! It looks like a calm and stylish urban garden, with room for everything you want to do from enjoying a drink to listening to the water feature.
Which brings me to my point, no matter how little space you have, it is possible to create a serene area to enjoy some outdoor living.
First, get a glass of wine, a pen and some paper, and write down what you want to do in that space. Most people I talk to who are battling with downsizing their garden have a surprisingly small wish list − somewhere to sit outside with friends, a barbecue area, a water feature or piece of garden art, an area of garden-scape including a tree, and a hideaway space for a trowel, bucket, a small bag of compost and their partner’s outdoor shoes.
With the exception of the partner’s shoes, all of these items can be downsized.
We solved the seating space issue by turning the edge of our garden area into a bench. This multitasking solution has given us room for eight people to sit with plates on their laps. We’re working on a couple of coffee tables 80cm long by 30cm wide, to put their beers on.
The barbecue issue is another easy fix. A small kettle-style barbecue can perch on a table or bench and you can move it around according to where your friends have sat themselves.
Many people are nonplussed by the idea that you can have a water feature in a tiny urban space, but we’re not looking at something as big as a spa pool here. A small trough that’s deep enough to accommodate a water pump will make the requisite gurgly noise and add a dash of sophistication.
On an even smaller scale, you can fill a colourful ceramic basin with water and replenish it every few days.
It can double as a focal point, and instead of a separate piece of garden art you can install an outdoor floor lamp (very trendy).
Thanks to clever plant breeders around the globe who understand the limitations of small spaces, there are countless choices of dwarf plants to green up your patio or balcony.
Choose something lush but slender that won’t mind the occasional haircut. A dwarf kowhai will grow in a pot and reach a couple of metres tall. Climbers, such as the flowering mandevilla, will also grow in pots. Avoid complicating your life with a real lawn too; consider a square of artificial turf instead.
And those bench-style coffee tables? Give them lift-up lids! Then you can use them to store your garden tools and at least a couple of pairs of those bloody outdoor shoes.