For gardeners limited by space – be limited no more! Holly Richardson takes a look at a couple of design tips and tricks from around the world.
Small Space Gardening has become a popular design challenge. Innovative designers and the everyday green-thumb are continuously coming up with new concepts for implementing and maintaining functional, yet aesthetically pleasing, potted gardens, vertical gardens, and roof gardens with small space gardening solutions.
There are a number of traditional design tricks that can be used to create the illusion of more space, explains John Gee from Global Garden magazine. The first trick is to cover the boundaries with foliage. Depending on the space available this may be achieved with bushy shrubs or, in a small area, a tall fence covered in creepers. When shrubs and small trees are planted in front of the foliage-covered fence, the eye is deceived into believing the garden extends further than it does.
Secondly, dividing the space is another design ruse often employed to make a small area appear larger. The division may be in the form of a latticework screen, or a line of trees, shrubs or tall potted plants. Through the dividing screen, the rest of the garden can be glimpsed giving the illusion of more area.
Another trick is using small-leafed plants (but not necessarily small plants) in a small area gives a greater feeling of spaciousness than using plants with large leaves. Also the colours that are used are important in small gardens. Avoid a confusion of bright colours which look crowded and busy. Soft blues and lavenders suggest distance while hot colours like reds, yellows and oranges bring things closer.
And lastly, Gee says that too much variety creates a feeling of clutter. A simple planting scheme of a few species often works best in a confined area.
Jon Traunfeld, by contrast, is a non-traditional gardening expert who helps those living in small spaces in Britain and the US. One of his many designs is a long-legged garden bed planters made out of wood in order to create a sense of space. These planters are ideal for small space gardening as their long legs give the illusion of more space on your deck, and they are very easy to make at home. They are simply planters made 3 feet by 3 feet long with long legs 2 to 3 feet high. Try three different height planter boxes and put them next to one another for an even more impressive and spacious effect.
Vertical small space gardening can be very aesthetically pleasing, however, the challenges involved with gardening in small spaces are: light exposure, plant spacing, and accessibility.
Here’s an easy to make vertical small space gardening solution which uses a hanging pocket shoe organiser. Yes that is not a miss-print – a shoe organiser! Make sure it is quality, so that it is sturdy in order to withstand the weight. The bags can be hung on a wall by their attachments, then fill each pocket with soil, plant the plants and water. There’s no reason why you can’t plant herbs or small vegetable plants like lettuce, cherry tomatoes or strawberries in these.
If you prefer to keep it simple, then it’s easy to find pots and containers, both large and small that work great on small backyards, balconies and even inside the home. The gardening gurus at Australia’s Natural Inspirations recommend that if you are looking for something more stylish, you can buy or make wooden containers. These keep the soil temperature from fluctuating as much, but require more watering because they’re very porous.
Natural Inspirations believe the key to success is to know your plant, the type of pot it is in, and its watering needs. Some garden planters will need watering every day, others only once a week. A rule of thumb is to see if the top layer (1 inch) of the soil in the garden planter is slightly dry (lighter in colour and texture). If it is, water deeply, until water runs out of the drainage holes.
Also don’t forget to extend your balcony space by using window boxes. When planting in such spaces just remember to be wary of the amount of weight that you are adding to the balcony. Soil based compost in a large container can weigh very heavy.
No matter whether your containers are outside on a paved back yard, on your unit or apartment balcony or inside your home, they are totally reliant on you for water and food, so you must feed regularly with an appropriate soluble fertiliser.
Just remember, instead of concentrating on how your small space limits you, think of the fun and creative things you can do with plants and containers in the area you do have.