Even small yards can have multiple beds and gardens, each with a different story to tell. Designing with a purpose can make the process more enjoyable, in addition to give you various suggestions to utilize. Size is not the problem, as you are able to play with ideas to make your yard look bigger and more exciting.

The Foundation

The foundation planting is one of the very first things people see when arriving to your home. It ties your house into the remainder of your yard. Foundation plantings, as the name suggests, go around the foundation of your home and complement the architectural details of your house while drawing the eye on the front door along with any other focal points there may be. Foundation plantings are generally free of wild and untamed plants, although splashes of colour tie in nicely. Shaped hedges like hollies or boxwoods with a couple accent plants near the door and corner are commonly used as foundation plantings.

Illusion: Deepening a Short Yard

If your yard is small, color choices can make the illusion of a bigger yard. If your small yard is short, putting cool-colored plants near the rear can make your yard seem longer and deeper. Cool colors include blues, greens and violets. The silvery-blue colour of the compact “Blue Star” junipers (Juniperus squamata “Blue Star”), hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9, deepen your yard, especially when paired with violets or greens like the various purple hyssops (Agastache spp.) Using their lush, green foliage. They are hardy through USDA zones 4 through 11 based on number.

Natural Gardens

Natural gardens can be one or both of two things: native plants for wildlife and beauty in addition to a mimic of the natural landscape. Butterfly gardens usually combine lots of colour and various heights to attract the local butterfly population. Native milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) Attract various types of native butterflies with their nectar. The glowing orange butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), hardy in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 9, are favorites through butterfly gardens. Hummingbirds love native snapdragons and penstemon (Penstemon spp.) , hardy through USDA hardiness zones 3 through 11 based on number. Penstemons also include texture using their spiky foliage. Mimicking the natural landscape using various shapes and flowers may also make your yard look bigger because it ties into the natural landscape instead of competing with it. If you live in a hilly place, for example, mimic the hills and valleys with height in the back and on the sides.

Telling a Story

A landscape design should ideally be like reading a narrative. In the front, including your foundation plantings, the mattresses are less striking and more formal. As your eye movements through the yard, the mattresses should become more visually interesting having a rest in the center (for example, a lawn or open space), ending with the back bed being the exciting conclusion. This concept can work wonders in a small yard, as the narrative takes off the mind the dimension.

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