If you have a balcony space or a smaller sized garden, it can sometimes feel like an excuse not to get involved in the joys of gardening due to “lack of space” but there really is so much you can do, even in the smallest of spaces. With our tips below, discover how to make a small garden look bigger and enjoy picking up gardening as a hobby in the meantime.

10 Tips on How to Make a Small Garden Look Bigger

Add bright colours to your planting scheme

Break up monotone areas of your space with vibrant, brightly coloured plants for a sprinkling of excitement. As wonderful as deep and dark tones are, by using too much of them in your space, you may find that it begins to feel more enclosed. Opt for light tones or bright oranges, reds, pinks or yellows instead, broken up with luscious greens to open up your garden and create lots of interest. 

Be mindful not to overcrowd or overuse the colours as this can have the opposite effect!

Utilise vertical walls and window boxes

When it comes to making your smaller space appear bigger, it’s a great idea to think outside of the box. Look up and around your garden, do you have a strong external wall that could be made use of to house a vertical living wall? Or perhaps you have a windowsill where a pretty window box could sit?

Don’t be afraid to get creative! Not only will using these extra spaces give you more room for plants, they’ll also creatively decorate your small garden and help disguise any unsightly or plain walls. 

Vertical living walls have been rising in popularity over the last few years and show no signs of slowing down. Bringing excitement to different dimensions and offering more interest for busy pollinators, you’re bound to love creating your own and watching it flourish. See our guide on ‘8 Different Ways to Create Your Own Living Wall’ for more ideas.

Gain perspective

It’s important to have perspective on your space in order to be honest with yourself about what is and isn’t possible, and what is and isn’t important. Not only that, but by having an open perspective, you’ll be able to envision and view your garden from different viewpoints. 

As an example, you may have a long, narrow garden that is much longer than it is wide. If so, have a go at creating curves in your space with a path so it’s not simply so up and down. By adding a curved pathway that guides you down to a focal point of interest lined off centre (perhaps a garden shed or a patio set) you’ll find that your space feels a lot more interesting, deeper and open.

Avoid big items

It can be tempting to treat yourself to a big furniture set that you’ve always wanted, but if it’s going to compromise your balcony or small garden space, opt for a more practical sized set instead. 

Foldable metal garden furniture or a sweet bistro set is a great alternative to heftier furniture that can’t easily be stored away. It’s generally best to avoid big items if you have a smaller sized garden, as they’ll take up more room which could be considered a waste of precious space. 

Instead of big statement water features, you could opt for a water wall that is more upright and doesn’t take up too much width. Alternatively, bring tranquillity to your space with a tabletop water feature design.

Light it up with outdoor lighting 

Often with smaller, more compact areas, you may find it less well-lit than in comparison to an open, larger space. Install outdoor lighting across all areas to ensure the light hits the right areas of your space. You could even use lights of different heights to really amplify your design.

For a more decorative element, opt for twinkling string lights or if you’d like to light up a specific area, wall lights or path lights could be a great option. For more information, read our ‘How to Install Outdoor Lighting’ guide.

Disguise walls and boundaries

Blurring the boundaries of your space with bushy or climbing plants is a great way to disguise how small it really is. This effect tricks the eye into believing that it’s actually bigger than it is. 

Opt for informal planting at varying heights to really blur the harsh lines of your boundary and create a softer, more interesting look.

Create illusions with mirrors

Creating illusions with mirrors is arguably one of the most effective ways to make your garden appear larger than it actually is. By using the art of reflection, you can extend your space by tricking the eye. 

For inspiration on how to effectively use mirrors in your garden, read our guide on ‘How to Use a Mirror in the Garden’.

Develop a container garden

If you have a balcony space, it may not be feasible to install a raised bed or plant into the ground so why not develop a container garden instead?

By using a variation of containers in different heights, this will add interest to your small space and the plants will break up any dull looking areas. The best thing about container gardening is that it’s entirely portable for when you move or if you need to move things around to adapt your garden for a different purpose.

Less is more

A lot of the time, less is more! Don’t fall into the trap of hoarding your garden full of endless decor and plants if you don’t have the space for it. By filling your garden to the brim with stuff, you’ll find it appears even more cramped and compact. You’ll also have less space for activities.

Create zones in your garden

By creating zones in your garden, you can separate it into different themes. Again, this will create the illusion of your space being far bigger than it is due to its contents. You can block off zones in your garden by using clever colour and planting schemes or by looking at hard landscaping, such as pathways, pergolas or decking.

Don’t let your smaller outdoor space hold you back any longer! Create the garden of your dreams with these tips and tricks.