Photo credit: Maria Orlova via www.pexels.com
Countless homes in the UK have small gardens and for many homeowners and tenants this is the only way they can afford a garden at all. If your home only has a small yard, don’t be discouraged – there are many things you can do to maximize your outdoor space and make your yard appear larger than it actually is. Here are some tips to get you started.
1. Use a clothes dryer
Line drying your laundry outside is much quicker than indoors on shelves, avoids the risk of mold growth and is much more environmentally friendly than using a tumble dryer. However, if you have a small yard, stretching a few clotheslines can easily take up all the available space. Instead, use a rotary air dryer to maximize space — you can even fold some models up and put them away when not in use.
2. Decorate with mirrors
While mirrors may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of garden decor, they are a beautiful way to reflect sunlight and make your garden appear larger. Choose a model specially made for outdoor use to ensure that it can withstand the weather and opt for a vintage look to give your garden a magical atmosphere.
3. Build a deck
Garden patios are a low-maintenance way to keep your garden looking beautiful. Turning part of your yard into a patio and using the rest for plants or lawn makes the space appear larger, counterintuitive as it may sound. Decking boards can be laid directly on paving stones. So, if your home has a paved yard, building a patio is the easiest way to give your yard a fresh and more sophisticated look.
4. Grow plants vertically
Who said you need a lot of space to grow plants? There are many plants that you can grow vertically on the walls of your garden, including many types of vegetables. You don’t have to give up your vegetable patch dream just because your garden is small – it just has to be a vegetable wall! To help your plants grow vertically, consider using a trellis, which also adds to the aesthetics of your garden.
5. Buy outdoor shelves
Outdoor shelves are a great way to add more plants and decorations to a small garden. You can buy freestanding garden shelves or attach individual shelves to your garden walls and fill them with potted plants or garden ornaments. To make your garden look extra pretty, drape some strings of solar lights around the edges of your shelves (or anywhere else, really!) and watch the magic come to life at night. If you have children, they will love the fairy lights – they may even believe there are real fairies in the garden!