Small Garden Ideas and Designs
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Fi Boyle Garden Design
Upper rear terrace is framed by a low stone wall. Borders set into the paving soften the hard landscaping.
Small classic side garden in Dorset.
Small classic side garden in Dorset.
Landscaping Solutions
Inspiration for a small classic back formal fully shaded garden in London with natural stone paving and a raised bed.
Peter Reader Landscapes
A close up view of the semi-formal bed.
This is an example of a small contemporary back partial sun garden in London.
This is an example of a small contemporary back partial sun garden in London.
Exterior Worlds Landscaping & Design
This garden house was designed by owner and architect, Shirat Mavligit. The wooden section of outer wall is actually the outer section of a central volume that creates an enlarged open space bisecting the home interior. The windows create a view corridor within the home that allows visitors to see all the way through to the back yard.
Occupants of the home looking out through these windows feel as if they are sitting in the middle of a garden. This architectural theme of volume and line of site is so powerful that it became the inspiration for the modern landscape design we developed in the front, back, and side yards of the property.
We began by addressing the issue of too much open space in the front yard. It has no surrounding fence, and it faces a very busy street in Houston’s Rice Village Area. After careful study of the home façade, our team determined that the best way to set aside a large portion of private space in front of the home was to construct a landscape berm.
This land art form adds a sense of dimension and psychological boundary to the scene. It is built of core 10 steel and stands 16 inches tall. This is just high enough for guests to sit on, and it provides an ideal sunbathing area for summer days.
The sweeping contour of the berm offsets the rigid linearity of the home with a softer architectural detail. Its linear progression gives the modern landscape design a dynamic sense of movement.
Moving to the back yard, we reinforced the home’s central volume and view corridor by laying a rectilinear line of gravel parallel to an equivalent section of grass. Near the corner of the house, we created a series of gravel stepping pads that lead guests from the gravel run, through the grass, and into a vegetable garden.
The heavy use of gravel does several things. It communicates a sense of control by containing the vitality of the lawn within an inorganic, mathematically precise space. This feeling of contained life force is common in modern landscape design. This also adds the functional advantage of a low-maintenance space where only minimal lawn care is needed. Gravel also has its own unique aesthetic appeal. Its dark color compliments both the grass and the house, providing an ideal lead-in to the space of the vegetable garden.
This same rectilinear geometry was applied to the side yard, but the materials were reversed to add dramatic effect. Here, the field is gravel, and the stepping pads are made from grass. Heavy gauge steel planters were set into the gravel to house separate plantings of Zoysia. The pads run from the library to the kitchen, allowing visitors to travel between the two as if they are walking on a floor decorated with grass.
The lawn in all three yards is planted with Zoysia grass. This species of grass is frequently used in modern landscape design because it requires only moderate amounts of water to retain its exceptionally fine texture. When mowed, it presents a clean, well-manicured lawn that compliments the conservatism of the home.
Ginkgo Leaf Studio
Stone steppers lead to an irregular lannon stone fire pit area in this creekside backyard in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.
Westhauser Photography
Photo of a small rustic back partial sun garden for summer in Milwaukee with a fire feature and natural stone paving.
Photo of a small rustic back partial sun garden for summer in Milwaukee with a fire feature and natural stone paving.
Little Miracles Designs
Pergola and kitchen are focal items.
Photo of a small modern back garden in New York.
Photo of a small modern back garden in New York.
Tierra Madre Fine Gardens
Inspiration for a small contemporary back partial sun garden in Other with a flowerbed and natural stone paving.
Living Colour Gardens
This is an example of a small contemporary back full sun garden for summer in London with natural stone paving and a potted garden.
The Pond Gnome
The new waterfall is now a place that the birds REALLY enjoy!
Photo of a small mediterranean back full sun garden in Phoenix with a pond.
Photo of a small mediterranean back full sun garden in Phoenix with a pond.
Hufnagel Landscape Design & Construction Group
Small contemporary back garden in New York with a potted garden and natural stone paving.
Ketti Kupper Conscious Life Design
Decomposed Granite path between Giant Sequoias leads to repurposed, reshaped and stained rear concrete slab. Micro-climate appropriate plants complete the picture. Photo by Ketti Kupper.
THE KING'S MASONS
Flagstone Front Walkway in Herringbone Pattern
Photo of a small traditional front formal partial sun garden in DC Metro with a garden path and natural stone paving.
Photo of a small traditional front formal partial sun garden in DC Metro with a garden path and natural stone paving.
Karen Rogers at KR Garden Design
Walpole Garden, Chiswick
Photography by Caroline Mardon - www.carolinemardon.com
Design ideas for a small traditional courtyard partial sun garden for spring in London with an outdoor sport court and brick paving.
Design ideas for a small traditional courtyard partial sun garden for spring in London with an outdoor sport court and brick paving.
Lankford Associates Landscape Architects
From the street, a round rock pathway leads to a small seating area next to the water with a small fire pit. Low maintenance, drought resistant and salt tolerant plantings were used in mass and clumps. This garden has become the focus of the neighborhood with many visitors stopping and enjoying what has become a neighborhood landmark. Located on the shores of Puget Sound in Washington State. Photo by R. Scott Lankford
Ross Land Studio
An unused area of lawn has been repurposed as a meditation garden. The meandering path of limestone step stones weaves through a birch grove. The matrix planting of carex grasses is interspersed with flowering natives throughout the season. Fall is spectacular with the blooming of aromatic asters.
LandArt
This garden showcases the amazing results you can achieve if you design your kitchen extension and garden together at the same time, especially if you will have large glass sliders looking at into the garden.
This garden’s transformation started as bare bones block-wall & dilapidated fence. Designed for a young family in Cabinteely. The small footprint is tasked with serving multiple roles: from kids play areas to evening entertainment space, storage shed, privacy buffer to the surrounding houses as well as being the aesthetic backdrop to a new glass-wall extension.
Bearing in mind the compact area the privacy screening is selected as slimline evergreen Espaliers along the back wall, effectively blocking out all onlooking windows to the rear. This drastically improves the privacy of not just the garden but also the client’s kitchen & family area. Living with kids through the Irish seasons means that the lawn is not just essential to keep in place for play but to also ensuring it is usable throughout the year. A space like this justifies the use of artificial lawn so come rain, hail or shine the garden is never off limits.
To achieve multiple uses within the garden we have carefully set the size of the terrace. The terrace protrudes into the lawn just enough to feel generous without compromising the overall balance. By keeping the levels of the lawn & terrace flush with one another allows them be treated as one continuous surface.
A limestone border draws the eyeline around the overall perimeter of this compact space. To ensure that the hard landscaping does not dominate we have foliage between each surface, slim flower beds in front of the shed & freestanding pots of luscious evergreens by the floor-to-ceiling windows. This ensures a lush view onto the garden throughout the year.
Magic Garden Dreams
One of the small fountainscapes we offer.
Photo of a small world-inspired back full sun garden in San Diego with a water feature and brick paving.
Photo of a small world-inspired back full sun garden in San Diego with a water feature and brick paving.
Northwest Native Landscapes LLC
This compact, urban backyard was in desperate need of privacy. We created a series of outdoor rooms, privacy screens, and lush plantings all with an Asian-inspired design sense. Elements include a covered outdoor lounge room, sun decks, rock gardens, shade garden, evergreen plant screens, and raised boardwalk to connect the various outdoor spaces. The finished space feels like a true backyard oasis.
Amanda Shipman
Amanda Shipman
Small country back full sun garden for summer in Hertfordshire with a garden path and brick paving.
Small country back full sun garden for summer in Hertfordshire with a garden path and brick paving.
Small Garden Ideas and Designs
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