Small Yard Landscaping.....
exciting ideas to turn a small yard into a beautiful cozy outside area

Small yard landscaping has it's own interesting challenge for the fact that it is very detail oriented. It takes special effort to turn that area into something spectacular and there is no room for sloppy design.

Small yards should never be neglected. I always want to use the same features as I would in a big garden, but never try to scale down the design used for a big garden when designing your small yard landscaping.....

It just does not work

Take care to emphasize the smaller spaces with the correct layout, hardscape features and plant selection.

When a small yard is properly landscaped, it provides additional living space for you and the family. Normally, a small yard means that the dimensions of the inside of the house is not huge either, so it is the ideal way to extend the inside of your home into the outside.

Just look at how stunning the raised beds look in this setting.

I much rather have raised beds, a compact water feature with some beautiful shrubs and one or two trees to give some height, than to plant too much lawn when you design your small yard landscaping.

To accommodate the limitations in space, it is important to make every millimeter count. And use miniature plant species in your raised bed(s); take great care that the paved areas and water features flow nicely into each other and that the scale is correct.

Don't overpower the small space with one a big feature. Rather use multiple, well thought-out elements that brings the whole space together as one and which creates the effect of "bigger"..... different focal points does this perfectly. It draws the eyes from one feature to the other by using clever designs, colour and a layout that flows.

Take care with the plants you choose when landscaping your small yard. You must have an overall view of what you eventually want to create with your landscape design for your small space;

• think of shrubbery that can provide privacy;
• plants that grow low or act as ground cover;
• trees that will grow high, and when they are big, it will create a 3D effect of distance.

Now, just as with any other landscape design, you must remember to design this space with the views you want from inside the house in mind. That is an excellent way of creating a bigger space..... make the inside feel like it flows into the outside and vice versa......

The outside view should "call" you to come and explore this beautiful, intimate and cozy outside space.

And also remember to plan for illumination. 

Outdoor landscape lighting forms a major part of the overall impact you want to create with your small yard.

• It will add the desired effects and create space at night, and
• you can accentuate the important features of your small yard.

Landscape lighting is such a useful tool and it adds such a huge amount of value for very little money. It is also something that with a little thinking and planning will give you much joy in implementing.

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