THE small space garden is becoming more common these days as urban density increases, houses get larger and property sizes shrink.
Think coach house and townhouse or the skinny 33-foot lot found commonly in our region. Even large lots stuffed full of monster home leave little room for garden. Small gardens require a thoughtful design that can accommodate sufficient outdoor living space, some privacy and enough planting space for veggies, colour and beauty.
If you plan to design and build your own small space garden, start by choosing the seating area in a location that is accessible with a sense of place within the context of the space. Most people choose seating areas close to the house for ease of access but locating the seating area away from the house provides the opportunity to "go out into the garden" instead of stepping out the door directly onto the patio. Seating areas should be made as large as possible within the size limitations of a small space garden. A common mistake people make when determining the seating area size is to make the space too small. To adequately determine the seating area size determine your table and chair sizing, then add space for chair and people movement around the table and add room for containers and a barbecue. If possible, build the seating area higher or lower than the surrounding elevation to provide interest and increase the sense of place for the seating area. If all your space offers is room for a seating area and nothing else, then you will have to learn to become a container gardener so you can provide colour and interest within the limited room available.
Privacy is an issue in any garden but the small space garden usually has little or no privacy due to its close proximity to its neighbours.
Privacy screening can be accomplished in several ways. Choose trees thoughtfully to provide privacy by selecting a species that will attain the mature height needed for privacy without interfering with surrounding buildings or outgrowing the space and becoming a maintenance problem.
In those instances where a tree will not work, lattice screening can be built directly around the seating area instead of raising the perimeter fencing height. Lattice can be furnished with small climbing vines to add colour and interest.
The latest method to provide privacy in small spaces comes in the form of the green or living wall. Some research is needed before building a green wall but they offer the flexibility of changing plant material, being customizable for shape and height and little ground space is required to build them. Green walls can produce a highly decorative final product that provides privacy and it can even be planted with veggies.
Metal screens can also be highly decorative for privacy screening and these days repurposing or upcycling old farm items, metal fencing or industrial materials can provide inexpensive options for the do-it-yourself builder.
Colour choices are very personal but the basic design concepts with colour are that cool colours like blue will recede into the background, making the space seem larger. Hot colours like red will make the space seem smaller by advancing the background. Those two concepts are important but I recommended against having all cool colours or all hot colours because some contrast between the two is needed to obtain drama and interest. Just be aware and use a predominate colour scheme to maximize your space's enjoyment.
The size of a plant's leaf also affects visual perception of space, especially in a small space. Large leaved plants like hosta will advance the background, making the space seem smaller. Small leaved plants will cause the background to recede, making the space seem larger. There is some cross-over perception between leaf size and colours in terms of making spaces seem larger or smaller and some careful design planning is required to achieve a desirable outcome.
The old wisdom of "if you can't build out then build up" is most applicable to the small space garden. Building or more accurately growing up with vines allows an increased range of plant material to be grown in the small garden while simultaneously providing privacy screening and interest. But choose your vines carefully. Wisteria, grapes and kiwis may be desirable but they come with a maintenance requirement. Honeysuckle or clematis are size appropriate choices for the small garden. There are also many annual vines that can be grown seasonally to add interest without outgrowing their space.
One of the great benefits of a small garden is its cosiness and intimacy that is sometimes lost in bigger gardens. Just be sure to do your homework and planning by moving things around on paper to avoid costly mistakes made by moving things around on the ground.
Todd Major is a journeyman horticulturist and chief horticulture instructor at the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden. For advice contact him at [email protected].
