Six ideas to make your garden bigger

Tried and tested techniques to make the most of your garden space – no matter how small

Outdoor spaces are precious - whether vast and sprawling or small and charming. But if, like mine, your garden is modest, you'll be familiar with those moments spent wondering how to squeeze in another plant, chair or even tool. But I love the challenge of forming a garden which is full of character and impact, looks effortless and - now I have a child - is easy to manage, too.

1. In the detail
When your garden's small, it's tempting to add a little bit of everything to pack in your money's worth - but don't try to re-create a large garden in miniature. Instead, focus on detail and stick with one style of design.

● Keep your furniture in proportion. Large pieces swallow space and are difficult to move around - folding furniture can be put away when not in use.

● Built-in furniture works in harmony with a garden's design and seems less prominent, plus it can prove a cost-effective seating solution.

● Keep your garden simple and in harmony with the style of your house, ensuring all your garden elements complement each other.

● Group pots together rather than cluttering the patio with pots in every available space. Massed altogether, containers become a glorious feature with impact.

● Ensure your garden ornaments relate to each other, to create a unified style - they should be a similar colour, material or theme.

● Remove any plants that have outgrown your space - they take up much needed space which could be put to better use with plants that are more in proportion.

2. From the ground up

You can't increase the area of your garden, but you can make the most of its size by looking at what's on the floor.

● Translate the floor materials used inside your house to the garden. Brick, slate, timber and stone all look great inside and out. Lay the same materials at the same level to create one continuous surface from inside to out, making both spaces seem larger.

● Match the bricks for your patio to the walls of your house - this also creates the illusion of space.

● Large paving slabs overpower tiny gardens, but small paving - such as bricks, setts and pavers - make a garden look bigger

● Use bold shape to create impact. If most of your garden is made up of lawn, create a circle or oval shape to make a feature of it and use the space around it for seating, pots and ornaments.

● Introduce a step into your garden to create a sense of size and mystery. A step can lead from one garden ‘room' to another - perhaps divided by a rose arch.

● Raised beds add layers of interest, creating a new and lively dimension to your outdoor space.

And clear the clutter, too...

It's easy: Hide garden clutter, such as tools, bags of compost, the barbecue and compost bins, in or behind a shed. It's a worthwhile investment and will also keep your tools in mint condition.

Tip: If you don't have space for a shed, invest in a slimline garden store to keep tools safe and dry. Check out the variety offered at www.crocus.co.uk.

3. Contain it
You don't even need a garden to cultivate colour with a few pots. Window boxes, hanging baskets and wall-mounted pots are all ingenious ways to save on floor space.

● Containers on the ground not only add the finishing touches to your garden, but allow you to change its look to suit the season.

● Grow vegetables, fruit and herbs in pots away from more ornamental plants. Patio tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers, salad, strawberries, cucumbers and squash are all pot-friendly.

4. On the up

Climbers are lively flowerers, even when floor space is limited - use them to grow up walls, sheds and fences, and to disguise your garden's boundaries so it appears to go on and on.

● Climbers are a great way to add scent to a small garden, where it is deliciously contained. Choose from evergreen Trachelospermum jasminoides, sweetly scented Jasminum officinialis and sumptuous repeat-flowering Rosa ‘Zéphirine Drouhin'.

● Use vertical space by building an overhead pergola next to your house - an open framework will allow you extra growing space and shelter, without too much shade.

● Climber-covered obelisks add height and drama at the centre of borders, allowing you to squeeze in more plants.

5. Be picky with plants
Plants are at the heart of any garden. Here's how to make sure that your choice makes your garden positively glow...

Choose a planting style, be it jungle, cottage garden, modern meadow or Mediterranean, and stick to it. Mixing things up will lose impact.

● Think carefully about your garden's colour palette - too many mixed colours will cause a colliding jumble that will make a small garden appear cluttered. Choose colours in the same spectrum, such as yellow, reds and oranges.

● Dark colours at the front of the border with lighter colours to the rear will help create depth, making your garden appear much larger than it actually is.

● Rather than try and keep plants flowering year round, choose plants that really go for it in the summer, to give your garden the wow factor when it's appreciated most. An under-planting of bulbs will extend interest through spring and winter while taking up a minimum of ground space.

● Use plants that flower over a long period - geraniums, gaillardia, nepeta and hemerocallis are ideal candidates.

● Plant a tree to mark the changing seasons - Malus ‘Golden Hornet', Sorbus aucuparia ‘Fastigiata' and Acer griseum all perform well throughout the year and won't grow too big for your space.

● Add winter interest by planting architectural evergreen topiary pieces in planters next to the house, to welcome you when most of your garden is hibernating.

6. Be a master of disguise

Use colour to trick the eye - light creams and whites on walls extend space, creating an airy feel - ideal for bouncing light into gloomy basement gardens. Dark tones of blue and purple to the rear wall of a garden will make it hard to tell where the garden ends.

● Mirrors on each side of a terrace will reflect each other, making the space seem to go on and on. Plant in front of them to maximise the leafy effect.

● Lighting your space will enable you to get more out of your small garden, allowing you to enjoy it well into the evening. Think carefully about the positioning of lights to transform a small garden with drama after dark. Candles and tealights are an inexpensive option.

Tip: Even if you don't intend to add lighting when building a terrace, it's a good idea to have cables laid and concealed, should you choose to add it later.

Subscribe - SAVE over 25%

Related Articles

Take 5 recipes: midweek...

Our food consultant Emma Marsden shares her...

Day to night

Perfect for round-the-clock style

Chic style

Dress it up with patent