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How to Improve My Garden If It’s Small?

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Our Top 5 Recommendations to Improve your Small Garden’s Design

Every project is different when designing a garden. Starting a design project for a small garden can be an exciting journey. Just because the space is limited, it doesn’t mean it can’t be impactful. Here are some helpful tips to guide you on where to begin:

Step 1. Identify the space

Start by understanding the unique features of your garden space. Take note of boundaries, existing structures, and any standout elements that can influence your design. Embrace these characteristics and let them influence your design decisions. Work with the site conditions, not against them.

How to Improve My Garden If It’s Small? Designing a small garden

Step 2. Improve the boundaries

Focus on maximising the potential of your boundaries. If there is a lovely old wall, enhance it. Utilise vertical surfaces for planting climbers such as Trachelospermum jasminoides on a sunny wall or fence for the beautiful scent.  Wall shrubs, and training fruit as a fan or espalier form. This not only adds greenery and maximises your growing space, but also creates a sense of enclosure and depth in your small garden design, view our previous designs here.

Consider incorporating architectural elements like timber panels or water features to enhance the boundary’s visual appeal and create focal points within the space. Painting rendered walls or timber fences can drastically alter the ambience of the space. White render can be quite cold, painting with warmer colour tones can help to bring warmth on a cold, dank winters day. Be bold with your colour choices. Staining a fence or timber panel black makes the boundary recede, resulting in the illusion that the space is bigger. Black or dark blues and greys are a fantastic contrast for foliage making plants pop against a fence

Step 3. Create layers and depth

Create depth and visual interest in your garden by incorporating layers of planting. Choose plants that flower at different times of the year to ensure year-round interest. Use a variety of heights within the planting, to include small trees and shrubs,  taller or mid-height perennials with ground covering species for a rich tapestry of colours and textures. Keep the plant selection simple to avoid overcrowding in a small space. Use repetition within the planting to create cohesion.

How to Improve My Garden If It’s Small? Designing a small garden

Step 4. Consider privacy 

Address privacy concerns by strategically placing tall plants, small trees, or trellises to create screening. This helps block unwanted views and enhances the feeling of seclusion in your garden. Consider using narrow plants like bamboos or clump-forming varieties for effective screening in a small space. See my previous blog on tree planting.

Step 5. Surfacing and Courtyard

Create a well-balanced design by incorporating a mix of planting and hardscaping elements. Consider using small paving units like bricks or setts to make the space feel larger. Aim for a courtyard design with a central entertaining area surrounded by well-planned boundaries with visual interest. Maintain a good balance between planting and hardscaping elements, aiming for at least 40% planting in the overall design. Where planting borders are positioned be bad, avoid narrow awkward planting areas, which are difficult to create a well balanced and structured parting scheme.

How to Improve My Garden If It’s Small? Designing a small garden

By starting with these design principles, you can lay a strong foundation for creating a beautiful and functional small garden. Remember to embrace the unique character of your space, maximise boundaries, layer your planting, address privacy concerns, and choose sustainable surfacing materials. Enjoy the process of transforming your small garden into a peaceful sanctuary where every element plays a vital role in the overall design. If you are interested in our design services don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Click here to see more images on the website. Contact us now 07834 233 343, we can assist you with your garden design, jenny@noscoegardendesign.com

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How to Improve Your Small Garden Design with Trees

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The Structural Importance of Trees in Garden Design 

Don’t be afraid of planting a tree in a small garden. Well positioned trees for small gardens can add enormous value to the space. They provide structural permanence, acting as pillars of the garden or the bones around which, the softer, fluffy, colourful floral display can express itself.

Trees add extra layers to the space. We have a tendency to look down, but trees encourage you to look up. Much like a mini rainforest they provide the canopy layer, creating mini-micro climates beneath and therefore more variation and opportunities for diverse planting and habitat creation.

Providing Shade, Shelter, and Environmental Benefits

When visiting a small garden for the first time, often my eye is immediately drawn to the boundaries. This is particularly the case when it is a new build garden, with a token patio and a patch of turf that has been laid over compacted ground. The space lacks life. A well-positioned tree can draw your eye away from the boundaries of the garden, and link to the wider landscape, which helps to make the space feel bigger, learn more about our approach to planting design.

Trees provide valuable shade and shelter. They have a cooling effect which is incredibly important for our increasingly dry summers. They help to absorb water run-off during our wet winters and create valuable stability to our precious soil. Trees filter and absorb wind and sound, rather than creating eddies, which is when the wind encounters a solid object such as a fence. Fences are abundant in small gardens on new build estates.

Selecting Tree Varieties for Enhanced Planting Design

Trees come in many different shapes and sizes. Before choosing your tree consider the weight of the tree canopy, whether it will provide dense shade or screening, dappled shade or bold dramatic foliage, which can be particularly effective in a small space.

Trees can add interest at different times of the year. Spring blossom of Crab apples and Amelanchier paired with the fruits and leaf colour in the Autumn are wonderful. Bold leaves of Cercis canadensis (pictured in top image) and Acer palmatum, both pictured below, can add drama to a small space.

Acer palmatum

Multi stemmed trees can provide beautiful winter structure with interesting bark such as the copper tones of Prunus serrula and Acer griseum and the smooth bark of Amelanchier, which looks wonderful when illuminated. Cornus kousa species (Cornus kousa ‘Satomi’ pictured) add beautiful colour from their flower bracts and fruits.

 

Cornuskousa

Cornuskousa

Feathered trees give a columnar effect, with branches breaking from the base upwards. These are ideal if you want to create a pillar effect with the planting. Carpinus betulus (hornbeam) are useful for this.

A standard (clear stem) tree allows you to walk underneath the canopy and provides screening higher up, useful for screening neighbouring windows.

A pleached or espalier specimen is essentially an aerial hedge on a clear stem which is useful for screening in a small space. Carpinus betulus (hornbeam) is commonly used, Malus (crab apple) and Pyrus (ornamental Pear) species are deciduous but add the benefits of a spring floral display and autumn leaf colour and fruits.

A parasol trained tree, (Liquidambar pictured), is similar to a pleached tree but is trained to grow as a roof, providing shade over a seating area. It is effective where space is tight but requires some skilled pruning and training.

Liquidambar

Liquidambar

Selecting Tree Varieties for Enhanced Planting Design

There are site specific considerations which need to be made, which will impact on how the tree will thrive. Assess the conditions first. Exposure to wind/salt laden air, soil ph. & structure i.e. clay, sand, chalk, loam are important factors. Look in neighbouring gardens to see what thrives there or contact us for a garden consultation and advice. Adding water features to a garden is also a brilliant way to improve garden biodiversity, you can learn more here.

As we know, trees are life. They produce the oxygen we need to breathe, filtering the air. They provide nesting opportunities, food sources for humans and our wildlife friends. Too often trees are removed, mostly because we have built too close to them, or the wrong tree has been planted in the first place. With careful consideration we can add more trees to benefit us and our wider environment.

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Using Water to Improve Your Garden Design in 2024

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Water enhances any garden space. It adds atmosphere, provides interesting reflections, and creates sound to muffle noises beyond the boundaries of the garden. Water is guaranteed to improve the biodiversity in the garden. Attracting birds, bees and insects, not to mention our amphibious friends. Frogs are a gardener’s friend, addressing the balance as natural predators, keeping the slug and snail populations down. This blog covers the ways you can utilise water to create eco-friendly garden design.

Should I add a water feature to my garden?

When planning your water feature, it’s important to consider the size and scale of your garden. A small courtyard might benefit from a small water bowl or a wall-mounted fountain, while a larger garden can accommodate a larger and more elaborate feature. It’s also important to consider the maintenance and upkeep of your water feature, as some designs may require more regular cleaning and maintenance.

In addition to the aesthetic benefits, water features also have practical uses in the garden. They can provide a source of water for birds and other wildlife, especially during dry periods. They can also help to cool the surrounding area, making your garden a more comfortable place to spend time during hot summer months. Learn more about creating a sustainable wildlife garden.

 

Water Features Garden Design

Contemporary waterfall incorporating a series of Corten steel pools and waterfalls.

The different types of water features

There are many options for bodies of water in the garden. From elaborate tiered water fountains and water cascades to self contained water features or a simple water bowl. They all contribute to the wildlife credentials in the garden.

Water walls are a popular choice for modern gardens. They can be made from a variety of materials such as glass, stone, or metal. The water flows down the wall, creating a soothing sound and a visually striking feature. They can be installed as a standalone piece or incorporated into a larger water feature. Follow this link to see our water feature garden, a contemporary waterfall incorporating a series of Corten steel pools and waterfalls. 

Cascades are another option for adding water to your garden. They can be designed to fit into any space, whether it’s a small corner or a large open area. The water flows down a series of steps or rocks, creating a beautiful and natural-looking waterfall effect. Cascades can be made from natural stone or artificial materials, depending on your preference and budget.

If you prefer a more traditional look, a fountain might be the perfect choice for your garden. Fountains come in a variety of styles, see this link to our wedding and Events venue for the Tunbridge 3 tier classical Portland Stone fountain design. The imposing Georgian Manor House complements the classical style and Portland stone in keeping with vernacular materials.  Fountains can be made from stone, concrete, or even metal. Fountains can be a focal point in your garden, attracting attention and depending on size and scale, creating a sense of tranquillity and/or excitement.

 

water feature for planting design

Should I add a water feature to my garden?

Instead of draining boggy or water logged areas in the garden, you can create a bog garden, providing a valuable habitat. Utilising a seasonal wetland, enables planting of dramatic foliage plants such as Gunnera and Rodgersia, winter stems of Salix and Cornus species. These species are amazing for enhancing your planting design deep into the winter months, our December blog covers this topic in detail. If you don’t have a naturally damp area in the garden, artificial bog gardens can be created by digging a hole and installing a butyl liner, then creating some perforations to allow water to slowly dissipate. Add soil back into the hole along with organic matter.

 

 

 

Overall, adding water to your garden can enhance its beauty, attract wildlife, and create a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere. Whether you choose a simple water bowl or a more elaborate fountain or cascade, incorporating water into your garden design is sure to bring diversity and tranquillity to your outdoor space.

Contact us now 07834 233 343, we can assist you with your garden design, jenny@noscoegardendesign.com

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How Spending Time in the Garden Can Help Mindfulness and Wellbeing

As we enter a new year, many of us are looking for ways to improve our wellbeing and find moments of peace and tranquillity in our busy lives. One often overlooked but incredibly rewarding way to achieve this is through spending time in the garden. Whether you have a sprawling plot, a small balcony or are involved with a local Community Garden, there are countless opportunities to practice mindfulness and wellbeing in the garden.

Burn Calories Through Gardening

One of the great benefits of having a garden is the opportunity to keep fit and exercise without having to step foot in a gym. Gardening is a fantastic way to get moving and burn calories while also enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. From digging and planting to weeding and pruning, there are endless physical tasks that can be done in the garden that will not only give you a workout but also leave you with a sense of accomplishment.

New Years Resolution: Connect with your Garden

As the new year begins, it’s the perfect time to make resolutions for your garden. Take some time to plan and envision what you want your garden to look like in the year/s ahead. Consider what plants you want to grow, any new features you want to add, and any changes you want to make to improve the overall design. By setting goals for your garden, you’ll have something to work towards and a sense of purpose when you step outside.

One of the most powerful aspects of spending time in the garden is the connection it provides with nature. There is something incredibly grounding and peaceful about getting your hands in the earth and working with the plants and soil. It’s a reminder of our place in the natural world and has been proven to alleviate stress and anxiety, improve mood, and increase overall well-being. Just last week, a friendly Robin landed on my boot while I was mulching an area of the garden, reminding me of the beauty and wonder that can be found in even the smallest of moments. By dedicating time to the garden, we prioritise self-care and create space for relaxation and rejuvenation.

How Your Garden is an Opportunity for Self Care

Even in the winter months, there are still plenty of tasks to be done in the garden, if you need inspiration for winter garden design, read our last blog here. One important activity to consider is winter mulching. This process helps to suppress weeds, retain moisture, and protect plants from harsh weather conditions. By taking the time to mulch your garden, you are not only caring for your plants but also creating a sense of order and renewal in your outdoor space.

Another way to connect with nature in your garden is by hanging bird feeders. Not only will this provide food for our feathered friends during the colder months, but it also provides a wonderful opportunity to observe and appreciate the wildlife that visits your garden. Watching birds’ flit around and feed can be incredibly calming and can help to foster a sense of connection with the natural world.

Finally, don’t underestimate the power of simply sitting in your garden and taking it all in. Whether it’s a warm summer day or a chilly winter morning, find a cozy spot, wrap up in a blanket, and sit with a cup of coffee or tea. Observe the changing light, listen to the sounds of nature, and allow yourself to relax and reset. Taking this time for yourself in the garden can be incredibly rejuvenating and can help to improve your overall wellbeing.

 

So, as we embark on a new year, make a commitment to make the most of your garden, no matter the size or location. Whether it’s through physical activity, planning and goal-setting, connecting with nature, or simply taking time to relax and observe, your garden has the potential to be a sanctuary for mindfulness and wellbeing. Embrace the opportunity to create a new year, new garden, and reap the benefits that come with it, for garden inspiration, view our selected works.

Contact us now 07834 233 343, we can assist you with your garden design, jenny@noscoegardendesign.com

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