Big Ideas for Small Gardens
If your urban garden is small, shady, even noisy or polluted, don’t despair. Landscape designer Paul Hervey-Brookes shares his expert tips for making your small space stand out
Make the most of your urban landscape with garden designer Paul Hervey-Brookes’ guide
Although many of us dream of a large sprawling garden, the reality of living in an urban area often means you inherit a small outside space. And if you’re extending your home, you may end up with a smaller garden by default. But just because your outside space is small doesn’t mean you have to curtail your ideas. A well-designed space can be a far more engaging and comforting place to be, and provides opportunity to create something really special.
first steps: creating your brief
The first essential step of any design where space is limited is to draw up a list of ‘must haves’. Think about activities, uses and even basic things like ‘Do I want a washing line’? Next, draw up a list of things you’d like to have, such as somewhere to eat, lighting options or luxuries like a woodburning oven. Jot down the type of garden you’d like to design — traditional or a more exotic holidayinspired space, perhaps?
If you are keen on growing your own vegetables, or want a fruit patch, then add this to your list, too. It’s easy to forget something important to you when faced with a compact space, so getting all this information down on paper is the best way of establishing your priorities.
get to know your space
Once you’re happy with your lists it’s time to get practical. Whether you intend to use a garden designer or carry out the work yourself, the one thing you need to do to really appreciate the space is to spend time observing and detailing information about it. If it helps, draw a plan and note down where the sun rises and falls, whether there’s a
prevailing breeze, and where the shady and sunny areas are. Listen to what’s going on around you, where noise tends to come from, what views you do and don’t like, and if there is anything – such as a neighbour’s bathroom window – you don’t want to spend time looking at.
These details will form the core of your new garden design, helping you to create a space that works well and is within your budget.
budget & project planning
If you’re working to a tight budget, then good quality paving, lighting and boundary treatments should be where the money goes first — these elements will last the longest and really set the tone. Purchasing smaller, less established plants will also help to save money; they won’t ruin the design of your garden and they will grow into it in time. If you’re planning major works, it’s a good idea to talk to your neighbours, especially about access if you share a drive or side alley. Some mini diggers and other equipment can go through the house but other items will be too big. You can crane equipment over the house but this will inevitably be more expensive.
Large-scale works will require a landscape professional; they will be able to talk you through the options and the likely costs involved. It’s also worth noting that if you don’t have a drive, your local authority will require a permit for parking skips on the road (at a cost, of course).
Top tip: If you’re planning a renovation or extension project, think about how you could use some of the equipment you have, like diggers and skips. You’ll already have them on site so if you can combine the work, you’ll save on costs.
choosing the right planting
Once you’ve established the size of your budget and the scale of your design, you can now pick your plants. Knowing if you have a sunny spot or a shady space will help you determine the types of plants you can grow easily.
A shady garden may at first seem less than desirable for some homeowners, but can actually provide opportunity to include an oasis of lush green foliage, creating a sense of the exotic.
Enclosed small spaces are often a microcosm, sheltered from the elements, which means you can grow a wider variety of plants that wouldn’t survive the winter elsewhere in the country.
‘Sun trap’ gardens will allow you to create a Mediterranean-style space with somewhere to sit and sunbathe, or to create beds of fruits or woody herbs.
Regardless of the volume of sun or shade, always choose plants with more than one point of interest. A plant with good summer flowers, and winter fruits or foliage, such as Amelanchier, rewards you year round. Small trees or shrubs with decorative shredding or peeling bark, especially, allow for more varied lighting options over winter that will keep the space interesting.
“Sun traps make great Mediterranean-style spaces”
Don’t feel the need to make a minimal space an overly tidy one. To get the most from it, a little controlled cottage wildness will make for a wildlife haven and add an extra dynamic to the space.
Other key considerations in urban gardens in particular may include pollution and noise:
Managing pollution As a rule, large leaved plants tend to absorb more carbon dioxide. Trees, especially ones with raised pores known as lenticels on the stem, such as Hornbeam, deal with urban pollution well so can effectively filter air quality around your home.
Reducing noise Planting shrubs and trees that are dense and twiggy will help reduce noise pollution, as will layering planting at different heights. The noises you pinpointed on your list will begin to determine where you plant these beds and a layout should form organically.
Making the space feel bigger
Adding a water feature, such as a still round disc or oblong trough, is a simple and effective trick to make any space feel bigger. The water captures the light and views of the sky above making the space feel bigger by virtue. It’s a simple trick often overlooked. Don’t be tempted to incorporate mirrors: they are bad for small birds and have none of the wildlife-enhancing qualities of still or moving water. The other neat trick that allows you to imagine the space is larger is to obscure the view. This could be a sunken area or taller planting allowing for two zones of activity within the space. By making such a distinction the mind sees the garden as larger and this sense is reinforced by using different areas for different activities. Borrowing a view is another way to create a feeling of space. If within your field of vision there’s a building with architectural interest or a beautiful tree, then anchor it into your space and frame it as part of the whole to add a sense of volume.
Lastly don’t rush, think through every step and you can’t go wrong! Next moNth: how to create a family-friendly garden