Small Garden Landscaping IDEAS Pictures

Big Ideas for a Small World

• Keep it simple
  Consistency of materials is key to uniting a small space. From the myriad of options at our local stone yards, we chose a British Columbia basalt for the main garden. We couldn’t resist the river rocks, but we confined them to the vegetable garden.
• Think big
  Ample pathways and gathering spaces are inviting, and large features are engaging in any size garden. Our 7-foot-wide stock-tank water feature (direct from the farm supply store) is a universal hit.
• Don’t hold back
  Big changes can take less time, effort and money and have greater impact in a small space.
• Create a backdrop
  With attention to color, fences and walls provide ideal backdrops for plantings. Our silvery fence, made from corrugated roofing panels, brightens our garden and highlights dark foliage plants. A bold, dark blue exterior color (Benjamin Moore Stonecutter) sets off bright colors against the house.
• Use the house
  The house is the largest feature of any small property-consider it part of the garden. Guests linger by the front door, which makes it an ideal location for a terrace or patio. Doors and windows create ideal axes on which to place features.

When Buell Steelman and I bought a semineglected ranch-style house at the top of a tiny, narrow, sloping, treeless lot in Eugene, Oregon, its only outdoor “features” were two ramshackle sheds, several haphazardly placed fences and 1, 200 square feet of concrete. Affordability clearly trumped charm, but the unusual dimensions of the outdoor space and the large living-room window that overlooked the future garden and hills to the west sparked our imaginations. We like to think we created a space that is uniquely ours-a showcase of our work and a reflection of our passions.