Just because you have a smaller plot doesn't mean you can't make it stand out. Maximize the impact of a minimal garden with these small front yard and backyard landscaping ideas. Make the most of your space by emphasizing the view, creating privacy, and adding color and comfortable seating to create a cozy and welcoming outdoor living area.
Create a View
A wooden pergola gives this small garden landscaping an elevated feel. Arbors and pergolas are classic small-yard landscaping ideas and great ways to frame a view, but you can do the same with shrubs, small trees, or even pieces of garden art.
Create Small Backyard Zones
This small yard landscaping idea may seem contradictory, but we promise it works: Break up open areas of a small space so it feels larger. Here, different furniture groupings and paths divide a small backyard landscape into attractive and restful seating nooks.
Make It Cozy
Boosting intimacy helps small backyards. Why? Creating nooks to escape to for reading and resting divides a space and creates specific zones. Here, a mid-height fence and lots of pretty plantings help to screen out the view beyond.
Add Color Effectively
This small yard landscaping idea adds function and beauty: Place bold, bright flowers right in view. Because your eye automatically goes to them, the rest of the small garden will seem to recede and feel larger.
Use the Power of Perspective
Long, straight lines trick your mind into thinking a small garden landscape is bigger than it is. To take full advantage of this illusion, subtly slant the far ends of the lines toward one another and create a focal point that joins them together. This landscaping idea includes a fence that does the job and is enhanced by repeating rows of flowers and a pergola.
Boost the Intrigue
There's no better way to up the visual interest of a landscaping idea than mixing up unexpected elements. Here, paving materials, lawn, hardscape, and container plantings add enough flair to a small backyard garden that you hardly notice the landscape's size.
Create Unique Small-Space Vertical Features
Create a truly original space by implementing a series of small space landscape garden hacks. Espaliering is one trick that isn't as complicated as it looks (and it's elegant, too). Use it to dress up a plain shed or house wall in a small backyard.
Borrow Views for Your Small Backyard
If your neighbors aren't into gardening like you are, take advantage of their nearby spaces to create the feel of a vista in your small garden landscape. This small backyard is packed with color and texture—but the open views and soaring trees next door keep it from feeling cramped.
Make Your Small Backyard a Destination
The landscaping idea that's the focus of this space is the fire pit with welcoming chairs. Placing the seating spot just next to a paved patio and creating a secondary seating spot near the fence helps the small backyard feel more spacious.
Take Advantage of Foliage and Texture
Big, bold tropical plants create a lush feel, especially in a small landscape. Their large leaves can manipulate the scale of a small backyard to help it feel larger, and their unusual shape helps to boost the "cool" factor of the area.
Keep Plants Vertical
Horizontal space can't be taken for granted in a small backyard. That's why a good landscaping idea is to look for shrubs and trees that grow up, not out. Try dwarf varieties if you don't have enough room for regular-sized plants and more columnar evergreens (bonus—they brighten up long winter days, too).
Create a Small Backyard Focal Point
A focal point is a great small yard landscaping idea to draw attention and help outdoor spaces feel put together. Here, a simple seating area and vertical planter take centerstage and offer a place to sit and enjoy an afternoon drink.
Conquer Dead Landscape Spots
In a small backyard, it's easy to ignore the areas that are out of view—such as the corners of the house or garage. Turn those spots into unexpected showstoppers with this landscaping idea: Add a centerpiece tree, an oversized container, and flowers and foliage plants for interest.
Skip the Lawn
If you really love plants, don't need a lawn, and are limited by a small backyard, consider this landscaping idea: Get rid of the grass. Stagger your plants for height and include walking paths so you can tend things in the center of the space. Remember: Our homes and yards should reflect the things we love.
Raise Planting Areas
You can give your small backyard a sense of height by raising up plantings, even if only by a foot or two. Try retaining walls or more formal raised beds integrated with other hardscape features, such as stairs. This will help direct the eye up and create a pretty distraction from the lack of square footage.
Streamline a Small Backyard
Reducing visual clutter is another landscaping idea that cultivates a sense of calm and order. The easiest way to do that is to maintain a routine and devotion to just a few plants or just one color. Here, hydrangeas and boxwood line a path to a small deck in the backyard.
Ideas for Small Outdoor Spaces with Style
- This Lush Yard Proves Edible Gardening in Small Spaces is Possible
- This Gorgeous Yard Proves a Flower-Filled Meadow is Possible, Even in a Small Space
- 24 Cheap Backyard Ideas for Outdoor Spaces Big and Small
- 5 Clever Ways to Make Your Outdoor Space Look Larger
- Small Deck Furniture Ideas that Maximize Every Inch of Space