A small garden can really put a burden on homeowners who are trying to make the most out of the space they have, and to do that many tend to fit in as much as they can which but according to an expert there are certain things that should be avoided when considering the design and what should feature in your outdoor spaces. The advice given by Vivien Moseley, garden and landscape designer, will help ensure gardeners are not wasting the space they have to ensure they have a beautiful space, regardless of the size.
Vivien Moseley is the founder of Petit Jardin, French for small garden, and she certainly knows her way around transforming and enhancing a garden, both small and large. However, in the case of gardens that may not have as much space, she said to avoid these two specific things.
The first thing the expert revealed is “plants that don’t offer much bang for their buck.”
She told the Express: “When you don’t have much room, you don’t want to fill your space with lots of plants that are bland, don’t offer much seasonal interest or are generally tricky to grow.”
Vivien explained that when choosing which plants to have in your garden, they should fall within at least two of several categories – long flowering season, texture, evergreen colour, beautiful flowers, and seasonal interest such as autumn colour.
“You also don’t want to fall victim to cramming your gardens with lots of different plants,” she says. “As Monty Don says, you only need seven good plants to create a garden.”
Instead, Vivien recommends gardeners to focus on having fewer species repeated through the beds that will give gardens “that designed look”. She added: “Be selective and pick plants that tend to be healthy and reliable growers.”
The second thing small garden owners should avoid, according to the designer, is wooden furniture.
“In general, wooden furniture tends to be made with chunkier profiles than metal furniture. For a very small space, I tend to lean towards metal garden furniture for its smaller footprint but also because it looks lovely powder-coated in a bright colour – adding year-round colour to the space,” Viven says.
She also noted the enhancement that comes with colourful or decorative furniture in a small garden, describing it “as a great opportunity to add some spark to the space.”
Vivien added: “Interesting forms, colour or patterned cushions and parasols are a great way of layering more texture into the space, creating visual depth.”