If there’s one thing this past year has taught us, it’s that even the smallest of outdoor spaces is a welcome haven of escapism. But wouldn’t it be nice to make those smaller gardens feel a little less… small? We’ve compiled some simple ideas to help your garden feel bigger and more spacious.
Plant Vertically
In order to create more ground space, it makes sense to make the most of vertically growing plants. This not only looks lovely but also removes the need for flower beds along the border, giving you even more ground space to enjoy.
Make use of every vertical space; walls, fences, sheds, arches or pergolas. Here are some of our favourite climbing plants that are ready to plant in early spring.
Clematis: These big flat starry flowers come in a huge range of shades and are best planted after the risk of frost is over. Clematis are great on wire fences or trellis because the leaf stalks absolutely love to grip anything they can twine themselves around. Our personal favourite is Sky blue ‘Perle d’Azur’, it’s a really beautiful flower that can grow to around 1.5-3m tall.
Honeysuckle: Another great addition to the garden and ready to plant from early Springtime is the honeysuckle. This plant is great at supporting itself and once it’s settled, they are pretty low maintenance. Some honeysuckles are beautifully fragrant and you can pick from a range of colours including white, yellow, orange, pinks and reds with pure colours or multi-coloured combinations that change as the season progresses.
Be Clever With Your Flower Choice
To create the illusion of more space, It’s best to choose plants that you can see around or through, and plants that are tall and narrow. A good example is a fastigiate yew with it’s thin, tall spires. Foxgloves are also beautiful additions to any garden, whilst not taking up too much space.
Verbena Bonariensis is a gorgeous herbaceous perennial plant. It has tall, narrow, sparsely-leafed stems on the top of which flattened heads of bright lavender-purple flowers appear in late Summer.
Make The Most of Window Boxes
Using window-sills, putting up shelves or a garden console table just below a narrow windowsill, to display pretty plants makes good use of vertical space and keeps the garden flooring clear. The result? Bags of colour without sacrificing square footage.
Lavender is one of the easiest plants to grow in window boxes; its compact growing habit will add just enough height without going floppy. Try combining Thyme, Lavender, and Salvias for a fragrant, herbaceous window box that’s also perfect for bees.
Create Different Zones
Rather than removing absolutely everything and having a huge lawn area (you’d think this would make the garden seem bigger, but you’re actually just switching the focus to the boundaries!) Why not create different areas or zones? This way, rather than your eyes going straight to the fences/walls, they move from area to area, giving the illusion of more space.
Here at Rosewood, we are more than happy to help you decide what’s best in your space, get in touch with us for a garden design consultation!
Keep Up With The Garden Maintenance
Lastly, a smaller space means that things are less likely to go unnoticed. If you aren’t able to keep your plants under control, then they can easily take over space and look unruly. Don’t forget the basics like lawn mowing, weeding and hedge trimming. These garden maintenance staples are the backbone to a clean and tidy garden, even more, important when you have less space to work with.
Now that Spring is well and truly on its way, you may be thinking it’s time for a garden overhaul. Our friendly and experienced team can help. Whether you need us to come up with a plan to get your garden looking its best or simply tidy it up – we cover everything from a one-off garden clearance to a regular garden maintenance service based in Surrey.
A Note From Us Here at Rosewood
We are very excited about the arrival of Spring! Working on our gardens is so much more enjoyable when the sunshine is beaming down. If you haven’t started getting your garden ready for spring, it isn’t too late. Head over to our last blog, where we have an easy checklist of things to do in the garden.
We have some exciting things happening behind the scenes here at Rosewood. We’re working on a brand new website so we can show off our team’s hard work and shout about our services even more. Keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram pages for updates!
If there’s one thing this past year has taught us, it’s that even the smallest of outdoor spaces is a welcome haven of escapism. But wouldn’t it be nice to make those smaller gardens feel a little less… small? We’ve compiled some simple ideas to help your garden feel bigger and more spacious.
