Small Back Yards

First of all i am new to this forum so i'l like to say Hi to everybody and introduce myself. My name is Sara, i graduated from university last year and i now work as a graphic designer for a company called Incito. I have just bought a little terraced paradice in the Preston area. I was wondering if anyone has any tips on how i can make my 'green space' lovely. My back yard is very small it has nice paving slabs and catches sunlight in the mornings, i would like some evergreens as they look well all year, at the moment i have two little fern bushes that my mum gave me in a pot, but thats as far as i have got, any ideas from anyone of how to make the most of the small space i have?

Thanks everybody

Sara mary
first time gardener

 

Hi Sara and welcome

Its a lovely feeling having your own place - can suddenly make you house proud. What sort of dimensions are we talking about, and do you have any ideas what sort of look you want. Do you have any bed space or are we talking about containers.

When I started, I looked through a load of pictures in books, until I came across a picture (several in fact) that really appealed to me. So that I could say I want my garden to look like that. Then you copy it. It could be quite bare with a few specimen plants, or all cramed in with an enclosed feeling. All green foliage, or a riot of colour.

Having said all that, don't be intimidated by all the choices. The key thing is to start with something, anything. Over a period of time you can try others.

 

Hi PeterS

Thats a good idea about looking for pictures, thanks.

We are talking small, approx 10 sq foot. I would like a cluttered garden surrouned by lots of colour in the summer and green in the winter, an italian feel, maybe a small statue. Lots for my cat to explore.

All the flowers need to be in tubs as the whole area is paved. Unless i could build a border, is this doable? and what would be the right time of year for this?

 

Hi Sarah Mary and welcome, whatever size garden/patio you have plants will make all the difference and are well worth the initial investment. I would suggest, amongst other things, you visit some nice gardens and parks for ideas perhaps a 'sculpture' or a nice large shaped pot or two may fit in somewhere. Good Luck.

 

Hi Sara

I had a large paved area that looked bare and needed breaking up somehow

I took up four of the slabs equal distance from each corner and planted out 4 ornamental small trees and had in the middle a sun dial

 

Hi Sarah,i too have a small space(husband has the most part for his canaries)so i make the most of what`s left by using shelves fixed to walls and avaries.old chimney pots,coal scuttles even two old tables from the pub minus the table top sit either side of a small bench.climbers are great.we have jasmin and honeysuckle.hanging baskets filled with lobelia are gorgeous.what i mean is don`t just look at the ground.look from the windows of your home aswell and think of what you`d like to see whilst making a cuppa tea first thing of a morning. good luck.once you start you just can`t stop!

 

These are all great, Thanks everybody!

 

As far as tubs are concerned, may I sugest a few observations.

1) Have pots as large as you can, even in a small space. Large pots will not dry out as quickly, and give you more tolerance over erratic watering. And use water gel crystals to help prevent drying out.

2) Vary the size and style of your pots - you do not want uniformity. Remember the rule of three. A group of three pots, one big, one medium, one small. With plants, one tall, one medium, one short. You do not have to be too rigid about this.

3) Consider a colour scheme. Either hot ie yellow, orange and orange reds. Or cool ie pink purple, blue and blue reds. It looks more messy if you mix the two.

4) In a small space I would go for long flowering plants, which often means tender perennials. You do not have to overwinter them if you do not want, they are pretty cheap to buy. In this group you have Geranium (technically Pelargonium - like it dry), Petunia (needs a lot of feeding and deadheading), Marguerite (Argyranthemum), Osteospermum, Diascia, Heliotrope, and Busy Lizzie (Impatiens - needs a lot of watering). You can even grow Dahlias, and two of my nicest pots had short Alstromeria. One outlandish suggestion is three tall Cosmos (grown from seed) in a large pot. They grew to 6 foot with me and were fantastic.

5) You will have to water regularly. I fed once a week (in the water) last year and was very pleased with the results. You will also need to deadhead regularly to prolong the flowering period.

6) If you like a cluttered/enclosed feel think of height. For the same area you can get more growing space by going up. What about a trellis and a Clematis or other climber. Or a tall thin conifer.

Best of luck