5 TRICKS TO MAKE A SMALL GARDEN LOOK BIGGER

To create interest and space in a small garden, it’s all about cheating the eye, as Harriet and Ben have done

 Raise the level of the beds on either side of the plot.

 For a more unusual effect, follow this design by sinking a long path or terrace a level below the rest of the garden. This adds another dimension to the space, and allows planting to blur path edges

SOFT FOCUS Left The deep borders are an informal array of Allium atropurpureum and Allium nigrum, clouds of Geranium pratense ‘Mrs Kendall Clark’, valerian and the lovely white umbels of Baltic parsley  Widen borders to give depth to a narrow garden. Create different, half-obscured areas, so not all of the garden can be seen at a glance from the house.

 Vary levels between areas. You could dig short stretches of gravel, edged with box, between different zones.

 Set areas off-centre, framed with an arch, to keep other parts mysterious.

LONG VIEW Above Fig trees form an arch above a wooden path that leads through the borders to a central dining area. This has been zoned off with box hedging and features a mix of Mediterranean plants