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City living: making a small outdoor space attractive
Green thinking
The importance of outdoor space
No matter how small your garden, it can make all the difference to your home if you maintain it to a high standard.
Outdoor space for many city dwellers may be limited to balconies or roof terraces, and planting these will require as much, if not more, thought than planting a larger, more traditionally shaped garden.
Gardens of all shapes and sizes also have a strong impact on prospective buyers if you are trying to sell your home. Clare Kay, branch manager at Barnard Marcus in Muswell Hill says: "In today's market when it comes to selling, your home is competing against many other properties, therefore it's crucial to create a strong first impression the moment a buyer pulls up outside your house.
“Buyers have been known to leave without viewing the property if they see a messy front garden. So, spending time presenting the outside of your home as carefully as the inside can make a difference when converting a viewing into an offer," Ms Kay added.
Michael Chan from Stonebridge and Company in Highgate West Hill agrees: "A well maintained front garden creates a great first impression which needs to be continued to the rear garden. It is an important feature for homebuyers, especially now that summer is just around the corner."
Making the most of a small space
Garden designs for small spaces require ingenuity and creativity. There are some advantages to small gardens that larger spaces don’t have, such as the fact that small gardens usually have a distinct shape and defined boundaries.
First, you need to determine what your needs are. Small gardens and courtyards, which are to be used frequently, should have sitting spaces & paths as well as plants.
When planning how to make the most of your small space, it is a good idea to start mapping out your space using grid paper. This can save you making costly mistakes by buying plants and pots that won’t fit into the space, or won’t work with the layout.
Low free standing or retaining walls are great features for a small garden. If you are really tight on space, defining the edge of the garden with a wall will provide seating without needing to add chairs to the space.
If there is no room for walls, another way of dividing the space is creating raised flowerbeds, which also add a sense of depth in a small space.
You have to choose plants carefully to complement a small space. They must be capable of growing properly with limited room and be suited to the light exposure and drainage of the space.
Plant colour is extremely important in a small area, as colours have a dramatic effect on how a space is perceived. Dark-colored plants contrasted with light-colored plants create good focal points. As you will be limited to the number of plants that you are able to have, choose plants that will look attractive all year round.
Avoid any plants that may, over time, out grow the space. Pruning of the shrubs you select is important as they can end up taking over the entire space. Shrubs, small flowering trees and bulbs can add color to your garden in the spring. Choosing attractive terracotta pots or pastel coloured planters is one way to inject some colour.
Dark blue glazed pots look very attractive with green foliage. Putting the plants into pots also means that the design is flexible, as you can move the pots around to create a different look to the space, or move them to the side when you want more seating space. Keen cooks could even start a mini herb garden in a large container.
Colors, textures, sizes, and shapes of different plants can be used to create an illusion of more space. Try and limit yourself to two or three colours as you will get more impact if you stay within the same shade. For instance, choose pastel pinks, crimsons and shocking pinks.
A misconception about small areas is that you have to use small plants. Rooftop terraces, balconies, and city gardens are sometime surrounded by tall walls and boundaries, so you can use large climbers to soften the walls.
Repetition of a few varieties is the key to using a lot of plants in small gardens. Usually, it's a big variety and not the amount of plants that seems overwhelming in small space gardens. So if you're going to use three trees, for example, plant three same species instead of three different types. The same applies for other plantings as well.
A great way to use plants to create a sense of depth is to put darker colored, rough textured plants to the front of your planting areas and put light colored, fine textured plants in the back. Also, remember to keep the smaller plants in front so that they won’t be hidden by the taller ones.
If your patio or terrace is overlooked, you can create some privacy with well-situated raised planters and containers. Using vines or climbers on a wooden trellis or piece of lattice creates a feeling of privacy without blocking out the views or light with a solid wall. Plants such as clematis, trumpet vine, honeysuckle and morning glories can be used to create an ‘open’ wall that will discourage prying eyes.
During the summer months, your terrace may get too sunny and hot, so you could consider some sort of pergola across at least part of it, which will give you some shade, and one more place to plant. Climbing hydrangea, jasmine, magnolias, camellias, or wisteria will look attractive here, and smell lovely too.
Creating a balcony garden
Being a high-rise apartment dweller shouldn't keep you from having a garden. Turf, small shrubs, and dwarf trees can be used to create a suburban landscape in miniature above the ground. Balconies even offer the opportunity for food production, with flowering fruit trees and container-grown herbs and vegetables.
First, do some research into the space that you have. Check which direction the balcony faces and take note of how much sun the area receives and for how long.
If the balcony is recessed, it may not ever get any sunlight, and if it is more open, the strong winds and rain in the winter must be taken into consideration.
The plants on a balcony will be very exposed, as they won’t have the shade or shelter usually provided by trees in a more traditional garden, so may need watering more often, especially during the summer months. Be careful when watering your plants, in case the water leaks onto the balcony of your neighbour below.
A good idea is to put larger pots on the ground on your balcony, and put your smaller ones higher up, either on a bench or on the surrounding wall or rail of your balcony. You can also hang pots that include flowers or ferns, as these will also shade your balcony so that your flat doesn’t get too hot.
Although it is tempting to fill your balcony garden to bursting, don’t go too overboard or you may find that it gets overgrown very quickly. If you have planted ivy, make sure you keep it under control so that it doesn’t overtake your entire building and annoy the neighbours. Balcony gardens don’t need a lot of plant life, as just a few plants will do wonders for any small space.
The plants on an outdoor balcony will usually be enjoyed indoors as well, so be sure to plant eye-catching displays where they can be viewed through glass doors. For example, miniature conifers in a wooden trough offer year-round viewing pleasure, and climbing clematis on a trellis can offer privacy aswell as blocking out unsightly views.
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