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Very Small Garden Design Help Needed

bev73swiftbev73swift Posts: 3
in Garden design
Hello I need help, I have never had a garden before and with it just being me I am not a diy person as such, but I am trying to learn. I have finally dug out all my weeds and an area for a patio (nearly) and painted the fence and masonry ( which I hate, the white looks awful so I am contemplating painting the masonry with another colour )however my garden is very small (8’ x 26’)and I am struggling with what to do that doesn’t make it look even smaller. I was originally going to lawn the rest of the area but think it will look plain and sterile but if I put a border for plants it will make the garden smaller. Can someone point me in the right direction or any sites that are good. I have tried looking and all the small gardens ideas are bigger than mine. I don’t really want gravel or bark down. Any help would be greatly appreciated. thank you 
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  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    I had an even smaller garden, about 12 feet x 7.  Two sides shaded by our house, third side by the house next door and the fourth side by a wall about 6 feet high.  It only got sun when it was right overhead.  I had the good luck to salvage six plain drilled mirrors that were being chucked out at work, lugged them home and got my kind husband to drill the wall facing the house so I could fix them.  To a casual observer it looked like a window, two panes across and three vertically, made the garden look twice as big and made the most of the scarce sunlight.

    One way to deal with a long narrow garden is to divide it up into zones:  maybe make two borders about a metre wide, one extending from each side boundary about two thirds across the garden, and a path to wind round them.  Don't know if this makes any sense.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I wouldn't bother with grass in such a small place. I would have a small patio, a curved or angled path down to the shed and fill the rest with planting to suit the conditions (sun/shade, soil type), including some tall things. It probably sounds counter-intuitive but I think lawn with titchy narrow borders would emphasise the small size.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Sonny4Sonny4 Posts: 20
    I must say, I love the white masonry! Think it looks very clean and modern. White does, however, dirty quickly.
    With a garden like that, I think I’d have it all paved. Paved, however, in a variety of styles, with large spaces for plants, perhaps in the middle and at the end of the plot, and gaps in the paving for low growing plants. Mirrors are a great idea, and if you split the garden in two, you could have a small water feature at the end to draw you further into the garden.
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    Agree with Treeface re the masonry - go the same as the fence! I painted my fence a dark colour and was so nervous about making the masonry the same colour ("will it be too dark??") but it was a huge improvement.

    If it was me I would go with a very simpledesign with a couple of areas of patio or deck (offset rectangles of different sizes) surrounded by lush planting and climbers.

    But you say you want a lawn, and in fairness you have a dog. In that case I would go across from side to side with the lawn, and instead of a border around the edge, have a band of planting going across the garden from side to side. Where the lawn meets the base of the fence you would probably want a row of bricks or some kind of edging to help you get your mower up to the edge.


    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    Your space is similar in size to my previous garden.  We were able to fit in planting, patio, pots, etc.  Where there is paving or decking in the photos, this could have been  lawn.  Your dog won't be able to run around much in your space anyway, so personally I would use gravel (easier to manage, and gives a nice Mediterranean feel). 

    BEFORE


    AFTER


    For inspiration, look at this very small garden by Juan Carlos Cure.  This would take a lot of skill and maintenance, but it shows that even with your space you could create something great.
  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    JennyJ said:
    I wouldn't bother with grass in such a small place. I would have a small patio, a curved or angled path down to the shed and fill the rest with planting to suit the conditions (sun/shade, soil type), including some tall things. It probably sounds counter-intuitive but I think lawn with titchy narrow borders would emphasise the small size.
    Plus a tree will be able to get more light than the borders.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    Another vote for no lawn. 
    No lawn = no lawn mower / storage for it.
    Devon.
  • AHRAHR Posts: 361
    Another vote for no lawn 
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    I think KeenOnGreen has nailed it in his After pic. Simplicity is key!

    Maybe no lawn is the best way to go. Not all dogs are content to just lay on the grass, like my greyhound does! (At the first sign of digging or scratching I make a move towards the hosepipe and he runs back inside lol) 
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
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