Tips for Making the Most of a Small Yard
with a touch of elegance

A small yard does not have to be devoid of landscaping elements. There are plenty of things that can be done with a small yard to help it look nice, while not encroaching too much on usable space. The key is to plan well, and to choose plants and designs that are not too over powering.

But, even though you may not be able to have large boulders or a sweeping flower garden, or a large pond, it is still possible to have a beautiful landscape that surrounds your home and helps you feel more comfortable in it.

One of the things to remember when you have a small space is that you can build up rather than building out. You can do this by building raised beds for your plants. This can be done yourself, allowing you to save money. In fact, if you have a small yard, your landscaping costs should be fewer anyway. Building a raised bed allows you to create an attractive feature for your small yard without having to worry about taking up too much space. Some beds, if built on planks of wood, can be designed with wheels. Then you can move your landscape wherever you want; you have a moveable landscape!

Another method of maximizing small landscape space is to use containers for planting. Instead of marking out large sections of your yard for flowerbeds or vegetable patches, do a little container gardening. These types of gardens allow you to choose to plant various items in containers. Plants in containers take up less space, and you can move them around as you need to. This also creates a moveable landscape that can be very convenient depending upon your use of the space for a certain day. The containers can be placed for ornamental effect while you are entertaining, or they can be moved out of the way for a rousing game of family flag-football.

Take into account the colors in your landscape. Cool colors (like blue) actually make a space look larger. Therefore, if you would like your yard to feel and look larger, choose the colors that make it look that way. Plants like silver king and evergreens can give your yard a feeling of largeness. Blue spruce and Alberta pine are good examples of plants that add a decorative tough while helping your property look bigger. In fact, Alberta pines are rather small trees, so they do not take up very much space while at the same time conferring a feeling of maximum space.

Flowers & Garden Talk 'Black Eyed Susans' - Favorite Summer Flowers The Rudbeckia ?Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan?, Rudbeckia fulgida, is an easy to grow perennial with large flower heads of golden yellow and black to brown centers. The flower heads are 3½ to 5 inches across, with a plant spread of 18-24? and a height of 24?. The dark gr... Posted on 6 Jul 2008 at 8:07pm Coneflowers | Echinacea Echinacea or coneflower cultivars have undergone many changes in the past few years. New colors, sizes and flower shapes keep coming, but each new cultivar has to be compared to the original, Magnus. This classic echinacea has large, deep-pink flowers that are long l... Posted on 9 Feb 2008 at 5:26pm Coneflowers (Echinacea) works with bugs Coneflowers Good To Grow Everyone is getting excited about echinacea these days ? and not just because it's a pretty flower. Recent scientific studies have proven that taking echinacea daily does help us resist the common cold. The usual method is to buy a bottle of a ... Posted on 31 Jul 2007 at 10:25pm IN YOUR GARDEN: Glorious gladioli Written by Jenny Watts Gladiolus has long been a favorite flower in the florist trade for its stately beauty in arrangements. But it also lends an air of dramatic beauty to the garden. These magnificent flowers originated in South Africa and are members of the iris fam... Posted on 28 Apr 2007 at 6:57pm A little neglect is best for begonias I've never thought of houseplants as being in or out of fashion, because I grew up with them: angel-wing begonias with silver dots on their dark green leaves, fragrant geraniums that filled the air with lemon or mint, orchids and cacti that obediently bloomed, under ... Posted on 16 Dec 2006 at 5:25pm

Another idea for small landscape spaces is a small rock garden. A well-designed rock garden always makes an attractive feature. Make sure that it is in a place that will not be in the way when you mow the lawn. A little nook or corner of the property, or even up against the house on a raised bed, will do for a small rock garden. Choose your rocks carefully to complement each other, and choose plants that go with the rocks and that will not spread too much.

Hens and chicks are great plants for use in a small rock garden. The rock garden draws the eye, but does not need to be sprawling.

Finally, if you want a water feature, it is possible to use a small one for limited landscape space. Small features similar to serenity fountains can be purchased for outdoor use. You can put them among your rock garden. Even a small birdbath can add a feeling of elegance to the yard. And the great thing about buying a small water feature is that it costs much, much less than putting in a big pond or even a medium size waterfall. Water features come in a variety of types and designs, and it very likely that you can find one to fit the size and the look of your yard.

Even if your yard is small, it is possible to design a landscape that enlarges the space in an attractive manner. By carefully considering your design, using small features and cool colors, and by thinking about what would help give your yard a touch of elegance, you can have a very nicely landscaped and cozy surrounding for your home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(c)2008 Flowers & Garden.com The resource for beginning gardeners and flower enthusiasts:
incl. indoor and container gardening, landscaping ideas, and a lot of flower pictures.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~