Ideas For Small Country Gardens

After the strange events of the last year and a bit, we've all realised how lucky we are if we have any outdoor space to call our own. A sprawling country garden full of flowers would be ideal, but even having a small garden, balcony or tiny roof terrace provided solace in the lockdowns. The only problem with a small garden is that they can be harder to design, but there's no need to be daunted; arm yourself with the right garden design tips and tricks and you'll have the tools you need to make it a tiny sanctuary for you to enjoy all through the warmer months, which are fast approaching! It doesn't matter if you have a balcony garden or a small patch of patio or even a small front garden, make it a space to be proud of with the right planning and planting.

Start by thinking about what you need from your garden and how you can plan it to fit those elements in. There are some excellent garden design apps out there that can help you with the basic structure. Chances are you'd like a pleasant place to sit on sunny days, so carve out some space and have a look around for some stylish garden furniture, set up a parasol and prepare for some outdoor dining. We also love using lighting in the garden, especially solar lights, which can help you make the most of the space after dark. And in a small front or back garden, if there's no room for a garden shed, you'll want some sort of garden storage to stow away your garden tools, toys and anything else that has a tendency to end up outdoors.

Then it's time to think about planting. Perhaps you just have room for some plant pots for pretty seasonal plants and herbs around your table and chairs. You may have room for a romantic border that will make your city garden look more like a country garden. Or it may be that you want to learn how to grow vegetables, in which case see our garden editor's guides to creating a kitchen garden and making a compost heap.

However small your garden is, we believe you can make something beautiful and functional there, so read on for more inspiration. If you're a novice gardener consult our our essential guide to gardening and landscape design.

Small garden ideas

Rachel Warne

Curator and potter Joanna Bird has turned her garden into an exhibition space, where modern sculpted ceramics meet calming evergreens. In the foreground is a bed of blue and mauve plants, including alliums and perovskia.
Eva Nemeth

While Daisy Garnett's Brixton garden is relatively spacious for London, her approach to the patio and to containers is one any small garden owner can learn from. Daisy's growing collection of pots on the terrace brings seasonal colour and interest to the area for most of the year. In an array of different shapes, sizes and materials, they contain plants ranging from large shrubs to tiny annuals. The large terracotta urn from Mallorca was a gift from her father.
Eva Nemeth

In her own London garden, a typical long narrow space, landscape designer Emily Erlam has constructed a series of elegant terraces, each with its own mood, which provide structure for Mediterranean plantings and natural canopies. Using spoil from the recent renovation of the house, levels were built up to form four elegant tiers separated by simple brick retaining walls. Each of the terraces has a distinct atmosphere and purpose: 'Some of the spaces are for a few people and some are for just one or two, but all have a shared quality of intimacy and shelter,' she explains.