7 Inspiring Ideas for Small Yards from the Chelsea Flower Show
The message from professional landscape designers at this year’s RHS show was clear — think big for your small space
Back in its spring slot at last, the 2022 RHS Chelsea Flower Show (24 to 28 May) was packed with ideas for our own yards, from ways to incorporate well-being to sustainable gardening and the best planting to attract wildlife. One of the key messages, though, was that no matter how small your outdoor space — even just a balcony — it’s possible to create a secluded haven, grow veggies and even have a water feature.
Amid all the gorgeous landscape designs, there were numerous inspirational ideas for those of us with compact plots. Here are just a few.
Amid all the gorgeous landscape designs, there were numerous inspirational ideas for those of us with compact plots. Here are just a few.
Surround Yourself With Plants
However small your outdoor space, you can trick the eye into thinking you’re sitting amid acres of greenery by packing in leafy planting. This reading corner on a 6½-by-16-foot balcony — “The Blue Garden” by Tom Wilkes-Rios — was surrounded by plants at numerous heights, including masses of succulents, for an immersive feel.
Such thick foliage creates privacy and can also be effective in muffling noise — useful in an urban environment.
However small your outdoor space, you can trick the eye into thinking you’re sitting amid acres of greenery by packing in leafy planting. This reading corner on a 6½-by-16-foot balcony — “The Blue Garden” by Tom Wilkes-Rios — was surrounded by plants at numerous heights, including masses of succulents, for an immersive feel.
Such thick foliage creates privacy and can also be effective in muffling noise — useful in an urban environment.
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Think Big
When it came to designing the balcony attached to his 18th-floor apartment, Jason Williams included all the elements of his dream garden to create an oasis outside his home.
Eager to share his ideas, he transferred his design to “The Cirrus Garden” balcony at this year’s show to inspire others to create a haven with lots of interest in a tiny space. He wove together a colorful range of wildflowers, perennials and edibles, a seating area, and even a waterfall and barrel pond filled with Japanese rice fish. A row of grasses (on the right) added height, screening and movement.
A mix of balcony planters, stacked pots, large planters and arched pergolas ensured there was room for everything.
Shop for outdoor pots and planters
When it came to designing the balcony attached to his 18th-floor apartment, Jason Williams included all the elements of his dream garden to create an oasis outside his home.
Eager to share his ideas, he transferred his design to “The Cirrus Garden” balcony at this year’s show to inspire others to create a haven with lots of interest in a tiny space. He wove together a colorful range of wildflowers, perennials and edibles, a seating area, and even a waterfall and barrel pond filled with Japanese rice fish. A row of grasses (on the right) added height, screening and movement.
A mix of balcony planters, stacked pots, large planters and arched pergolas ensured there was room for everything.
Shop for outdoor pots and planters
Create a Sense of Grandeur With Dramatic Materials
This compact space — “The Still Garden” designed by Jane Porter — was made more impressive by the inclusion of a slate backdrop, which nodded to the towering sea walls of the Outer Hebrides, a chain of islands off the west coast of Scotland. While taking up relatively little room, it suggested the design was simply a small part of a much bigger landscape.
The native planting added to the sense of wild seclusion — and the beauty of a container garden is you can pick your soil, so you can create a landscape of your choosing.
This compact space — “The Still Garden” designed by Jane Porter — was made more impressive by the inclusion of a slate backdrop, which nodded to the towering sea walls of the Outer Hebrides, a chain of islands off the west coast of Scotland. While taking up relatively little room, it suggested the design was simply a small part of a much bigger landscape.
The native planting added to the sense of wild seclusion — and the beauty of a container garden is you can pick your soil, so you can create a landscape of your choosing.
Hang Your Tools
No room for a shed? Create a hanging tool area on a wall or fence. In “The Potting Balcony Garden” sponsored by Viking (pictured) and designed by William Murray, the storage was given a central role rather than being hidden away. The bold yellow wire grid against the black wall made it deliberately part of the design.
In addition to the grid providing plenty of space to hang tools, baskets clipped on above head height allow ed for extra storage and for potted plants to be displayed without getting in the way.
25 Stylish Ways to Improve Your Outdoor Storage
No room for a shed? Create a hanging tool area on a wall or fence. In “The Potting Balcony Garden” sponsored by Viking (pictured) and designed by William Murray, the storage was given a central role rather than being hidden away. The bold yellow wire grid against the black wall made it deliberately part of the design.
In addition to the grid providing plenty of space to hang tools, baskets clipped on above head height allow ed for extra storage and for potted plants to be displayed without getting in the way.
25 Stylish Ways to Improve Your Outdoor Storage
Screen With Pleached Trees
Here’s another clever idea from “The Potting Balcony Garden.” A good way to bring in height without taking up too much room is with pleached trees.
Across the end of the balcony on the left (and on the right, not pictured), an apple tree was neatly spreading its branches along a slim screen, and would, in time, create a lovely leafy screen without encroaching on the tiny space.
Here’s another clever idea from “The Potting Balcony Garden.” A good way to bring in height without taking up too much room is with pleached trees.
Across the end of the balcony on the left (and on the right, not pictured), an apple tree was neatly spreading its branches along a slim screen, and would, in time, create a lovely leafy screen without encroaching on the tiny space.
Grow Veggies Vertically
Interested in cultivating edible plants in your small yard? Why not make use of vertical space? This “OmVed Gardens” exhibition in the Great Pavilion had an heirloom curved squash, which can be used as summer squash or left to develop into winter squash, making its way up a rustic willow obelisk.
It’s easy to create a similar structure using willow, hazel or bamboo, or you can buy ready-made obelisks.
How to Plan Your Edible Garden
Interested in cultivating edible plants in your small yard? Why not make use of vertical space? This “OmVed Gardens” exhibition in the Great Pavilion had an heirloom curved squash, which can be used as summer squash or left to develop into winter squash, making its way up a rustic willow obelisk.
It’s easy to create a similar structure using willow, hazel or bamboo, or you can buy ready-made obelisks.
How to Plan Your Edible Garden
Or why not try growing strawberries or cherry tomatoes on the side of a shed or along a fence? Here’s an abundant crop that takes up little space — and is handily at comfortable picking height.
Tell us: Have you made the most of a small yard? Share your tips and photos in the Comments.
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Tell us: Have you made the most of a small yard? Share your tips and photos in the Comments.
More on Houzz
Read more garden guides
Find a landscape contractor to help with your project
Shop for outdoor furniture
A snaking path that leads through lush, varied planting can bring a sense of discovery to even a small outside space. Not quite being able to see around every bend invites exploration and blurs the boundaries of the yard.
In “The Boodles Travel Garden” (pictured) by Thomas Hoblyn, the beds were mounded slightly to further hide the view and add to the sense of a bigger landscape. A rill hugged the sinuous path, emphasizing the shape, while blue irises subtly led the eye along it.
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