I have never been a natural gardener. For years, I struggled to keep basic houseplants alive, only to kill them at the first opportunity. It was difficult and stressful to buy a home with a yard, but I knew that I might be able to learn what I was doing wrong and correct the problem. To start off, I focused heavily on the lawn, and tried hard to keep it trimmed and well-maintained. Next, I cleaned up the flowerbeds. It was a lot of work, but I knew that it would pay off in the end. When I was done, my front yard was gorgeous, and guess what--it even stayed alive. This blog is all about loving your little landscape.
Sometimes when homeowners have a small yard, they figure it's not even worth landscaping. But this is not the case at all! If anything, it is more important to have a small yard landscaped so you can make sure you're using the space to the fullest and keeping it more usable. So, with that in mind, here are some landscaping tips and ideas for smaller yards.
Put garden beds only on one side.
While you might surround a larger yard with garden beds, this can take up too much space in a smaller yard. You want to leave at least some grass! Consider putting garden beds only along one side of the yard. For instance, you could put a garden bed along the left fence, but not the right or the back fence. Or you could only put a garden bed against the house, but not elsewhere. This adds an accent to your yard without taking up so much of it.
Choose smaller bushes and plants.
When an interior decorator decorates a space, they try to choose furniture and items that are in proportion to that space. You need to do the same when designing a landscaping plan for your yard. The smaller the yard, the smaller your bushes and flowers need to be. For the smallest of yards, you may not want to use bushes at all — just a variety of smaller flowers. For yards that are a little bit bigger, dwarf shrubs, like dwarf spruce or dwarf hydrangea, are good choices.
Include potted plants.
If you put in a smaller garden bed and still think your yard needs more color or decoration, then consider including some potted plants. This way, if you need more space in your yard, you can always move the plants temporarily. Put them on a porch or in the garage while you host a summer barbecue or let the kids play in the yard. You can plant some colorful pansies, petunias, or even marigolds in your pots, adding portable pops of color.
Use a pre-emergent weed killer.
When you have a small yard, weeds can quickly take over. So, you really need to keep on top of weed control. Using a pre-emergent weed killer a few times per year works well. This keeps the weeds from even germinating in the first place.
If you have a small yard, put the landscaping tips above to good use. Your yard will be both beautiful and functional.
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