Small Backyard Landscaping Ideas – Make The Most Of Your Space

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A small backyard needs carefully-planned landscaping ideas.

This is because when size is small, any neglected areas will stand out. Landscaping your small garden doesn’t have to be limiting, however, and you can be as creative as you’d like in a small space. The styles you choose for your small garden are equally wide. You could create anything from a Japanese garden with decking and boulders to a small English country garden.

Looking for some high-resolution photos of incredible backyard landscapes? Click here or scroll down to the bottom of this article!

Create an overall design which depicts how you will use your space, the types of plants you would like, the colour selection you prefer, and added features such as a deck, container garden, pergola (1) or water feature.


1. Go small.

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Small backyard landscaping ideas often use the same plants or elements as a larger garden, but a landscaper will often provide you with miniature or dwarf versions of plants or trees. This enables you to have many different plants that add interest and create focal points while ensuring effective use of the space.

Likewise, a small backyard would benefit from a water feature that’s a miniature version of the larger features present in large gardens. Think of small rock koi ponds or zen features surrounded by pebbles.

A small patio or pergola would enable you to sit outside and enjoy the view.


2. Create areas of interest or focal points.

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Benches, contrasting foliage, different levels and outstanding features all add areas of interest to your garden. Small backyards are the perfect spaces to add metal archways which can be used to grow creepers or place an attractive multi-level deck.

A little goes a long way and a small backyard can easily acquire a feeling of luxury. Built-in planters can provide height, raising plants so that they come into focus. Likewise, large and colourful containers placed near an entranceway or seating area will create a bright and attractive focal area.


3. Use hard landscaping.

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When designing a small garden, it is often effective to use hard landscaping such as paving, built-in flower beds, herb lanes, cobblestones, stones, gravel or pavers. These elements can be used to structure and shape the garden; they often add height and give the illusion of space.

Hard landscaping creates the basic structure and backbone of the garden but also allows space for flexibility. You can change your planter full of wild grasses into an herb pot at a later date without disrupting the feel of your garden. Likewise, you can change the plants framing your pathways, or add colourful annuals, without disrupting the flow of your garden.


4. Make your walls a part of the design.

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With small gardens, every aspect of your space counts. This includes your wall areas.

Consider using them as a part of your design. This may include painting them bright colours (as in a Moroccan garden) or lining them with wooden reeds, decking, trellis or creepers. Painting your walls a deep green may make them seem a part of the foliage.

By incorporating walls into your design, the goal is to make them recede, giving you a larger sense of space.


5. Make your space low maintenance.

With a small backyard, your goal is to create a space where you can relax, enjoy the multiple focus points you have created, and even use it as a space for alfresco summer dining or relaxing with a book.

Low-maintenance gardens are attractive and easy to enjoy. Use plants indigenous to your area (that suit your climate conditions) and then add mulch to your flower beds – this will help you to keep weeds and watering to a minimum. You can make use of stones or pebbles to keep weeds at bay.


6. Add splashes of colour.

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Depending on the style of your garden, you might want to add colour by choosing plants with colourful foliage, such as the deep reds and burgundy leaves of strappy plants, or the fiery orange leaves of a maple.

However, many gardens have space for colourful flowers, whether this is a bright pink hibiscus, the shocking colour of bougainvillea, or patches of attractive flowering annuals. If, however, you prefer a monotone garden, interesting containers could add a colourful contrast.


Final thoughts…

Landscaping ideas for small gardens are rich and varied and provide the possibility of creating attractive areas without great expenditure.

If you’re hiring a landscaper to work with you to design your garden, provide a collection of photographs that illustrate the styles you prefer so that you can both begin on the same page. This will prevent multiple designs and redesigns which will save you both time and expense.

If you’re working on this project alone, remember to begin by planning carefully. This may seem overwhelming with so many different aspects of the garden to take into consideration. In this case, you may be interested in a landscaping package that gives you instant access to:

  • thousands of high-quality landscaping designs and instructions
  • images in full colour and high resolution
  • designs for your backyard, front yard and garden
  • step-by-step guides and designing tips
  • basic and pro landscaping designs to accommodate people of all skill levels
  • and much more!

With this resource, you can immediately begin realizing your dream backyard without the massive expensive that comes with a professional landscaper. How does that sound?

You can view the choice you’d most like for your small backyard, and find easy steps to plan and create the space of your dreams. The photos and plans are inspiring, and they’ll provide hundreds of options for plants, water features, decks and pergolas.

It’s a resource I thoroughly recommend.

For more information on how you can gain access, go here! Alternatively, you can read my full review of the program.

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2 Responses

  1. Diane says:

    Great post Scott… you clearly know your stuff. We’re nearly ready to start re-landscaping our backyard (which is fairly small), and I’m definitely going to keep these tips in mind. When I have some more time tonight I’ll check out your link. Thanks

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