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**Designing a tiny garden**
Once you have evaluated the pros and cons of the site, you can consider the possibilities for change. One of the advantages of gardening on a tiny scale is that you can make alternation that would be prohibitively expensive in a larger garden. You can erect a new fence or wall, remove existing plants or, as discussed, change the entire soil in a flowerbed. You could even give the garden a completely new look by changing the ground surface, digging up or laying concrete or paving stones.
Books, magazines, gardening shows and other gardens are all good sources of inspiration, even if you only use part of the design. The following section, ‘Design solutions for tiny spaces’, will also show you a selection of different styles for tiny gardens and suggest ideas for particular situations. Treat them as starting points rather than fixed plans, and mix and match the various designs (an idea for a light well may work just as well in a passageway and many suggestions for roofs and balconies are interchangeable).
It will help if you make a list of things that need to be accommodated in your space as well as features that you’d like to have. The list might include: plant containers; table and chairs; wall, fence or trellis for privacy; a large feature shrub or tree; water feature; lighting; play area for children; bicycles and dustbins; space for compost; dormant plants and seeds; lean-to shed or other storage area. Some of these features may at first glace seem more at home in a large garden, but it is possible to fit any of them into a tiny space. A children’s play area, for example, could mean a small paddling pool on a balcony, which will keep young children amused on a hot day, can be used to cool adult feet in the evening and will fold away into a cupboard when not in use. You won’t be able to include all the items in a tiny garden, so decide on you top priority and work from there.
**An illusion of size**
There is a rule of thumb that to create the illusion of greater size you should divide your garden into smaller spaces. This may be true, but it will be impossible to divide a really tiny garden this way. The solution is to provide several distinct focal points that will trick the eye into perceiving the space as larger than it really is. A row of pots along one side of a long, narrow passageway can be monotonous; it would be better to arrange the containers in clusters, perhaps with a single eye-catching pot on the opposite side. A change in level, achieved through a small raised bed for example, will also create an illusion of size.
Another useful rule is ‘less is more’. A few large features are usually more effective than several smaller ones. A single decent-sized flowerbed will create more impact than a series of very thin ones and will leave you room to position an ornament or a table and chairs against a wall that might not be so well suited to growing plants. ‘Less is more’ does not mean the garden should have less in it, but that it should not contain too many different things. A variety of plants will usually look better if their containers are in some way linked, possibly by material of colour. Equally, a variety of containers can be brought together by a simple planting scheme.
Plan a small face for the overall effect. If you only have room for a few plants, try for a selection that will work all year round. A tiny garden is going to be right next to the house, so even if you don’t actually go outside during winter the plants will be visible through windows. A single evergreen, such as viburnum, in a tub will require virtually no maintenance, provide an interesting view in winter and act as a backdrop for more colourful flowers in summer.
**Transferring the plan to the garden**
It is worth leaving any established planning for as long as possible as many bulbs and perennials will die down in their dormant period and during this time may not be easy to recognize. Before you pull up existing plants consider whether they have been put there for a reason. Shrubs can act as a barrier against wind and noise, and the large tree that shades your garden may also provide privacy or block an unattractive view.
Remember also that you do not need to complete the design in one go. As the plants grow the garden will gradually evolve and you may well change your mind about how you want it to develop. The plan can easily be adapted as you proceed.
Once you are satisfied that your plan will work within the constraints of the space, transfer it to the garden using string and stones as markers. You will probably make further alternations but this initial plan will provide helpful guidelines to what you can do fit in. If it feels overcrowded you may have to reassess you priorities and jettison anything that doesn’t work.
Leave the plan for at least a week and check it at different times of the day. Does the design make the most of the light? Is the seating in the best position? Are you satisfied with the overall effect? This may seem a lot of trouble for an area the size of a pocket handkerchief, but now is the time to discover the possibilities, not when the furniture you ordered turns up at the door. And when you are happy with the plan, you can set about creating the tiny garden of your dreams.
*Used with permission of Frances Lincoln Ltd., 2006, pages 10-13*
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