Small Garden Design Ideas

Courtyard with stainless steel water feature. Bay trees and Box balls to provide structure with some lavender to soften the scheme and to provide additional colour and fragrance. Photo - Courtesy of KFH Ealing

Small projects

Green Tree Garden Design Ltd

The rear border is quite shady, and has been planted with a selection of structural evergreens and ferns to provide an attractive backdrop to the rest of the planting. Spring bulbs have been planted to provide colour (white!) early in the year. The Acer palmatum was originally planted much closer to the Yew hedge, so we decided to move it (very carefully), and it seems to be thriving in its' new position.

Cara Cara Hollywood

OVERARCH

Night time photo of the shared backyard space for the bungalows
Design ideas for a small contemporary backyard full sun garden for summer in Los Angeles with concrete pavers.

Stainless water fountain

Exterior Worlds Landscaping & Design

Design ideas for a small modern side yard full sun garden in Houston with a water feature and decking.

Modern cottage with low water frontyard planting

June Scott Design

Succulents, grasses and low-water shrubs with vivid foliage give this coastal garden a rich, textured look with minimal maintenance. Exterior colors and furniture selection by Julie McMahon. Photos by Daniel Bosler

Low Maintenance Front Yard with Synthetic Grass & Rundle Rocks

SOLKOR | Creating Stunning Outdoor Living Spaces

Photo of a small country front yard full sun xeriscape for winter in Calgary with a garden path and natural stone pavers.

gallery of landscape work

The Distinctive Gardener

a group of tropical foliage and shrubs make a great backdrop to this pool six months from planting
Design ideas for a small tropical side yard formal garden.

Kid Friendly Garden

Jackie and the Beanstalk

Veggies boxes before planting. We installed ¼" drip tubing to irrigate the vegetables.
Photo of a small traditional backyard full sun garden in San Diego.

Wildflower meadow surrounding house

Linden L.A.N.D. Group

Bare soil areas that were disturbed during construction were seeded with a Northeast native wildflower mix. Photo: Rebecca Lindenmeyr
Inspiration for a small transitional backyard full sun formal garden for summer in Burlington with a vegetable garden and natural stone pavers.

Courtyard House

Davis Architects

This is an example of a small contemporary courtyard partial sun formal garden in Sydney with a water feature.

Cedar Fences

Split Rail Fence Co Denver CO

Small transitional backyard partial sun formal garden in Denver with a garden path and natural stone pavers for summer.

Small outdoor room with a green wall in Kensington

The Garden Builders

Pro Colour Photography
Design ideas for a small contemporary backyard partial sun garden for summer in London with a vertical garden and natural stone pavers.

Modern Master Piece

Pro-Land Landscape Construction Inc.

Winner of the 2017 Casey Van Maris Award, given to the project awarded the highest marks for execution of unique and innovative design in landscaping. Awarded by Landscape Ontario

Modern Master Piece

Pro-Land Landscape Construction Inc.

Winner of the 2017 Casey Van Maris Award, given to the project awarded the highest marks for execution of unique and innovative design in landscaping. Awarded by Landscape Ontario

Cross Country Greenhouses

BC Greenhouse Builders Ltd

A unique free standing lean-to to capture the most amount of available sun per day.
Design ideas for a small traditional backyard full sun formal garden for spring in Vancouver with a container garden and gravel.

Office Cottage and Deck

Ian Moore Design

Ian Moore
Inspiration for a small modern backyard partial sun formal garden for summer in San Francisco with gravel and a retaining wall.

Suburban Modern with Pool

Little Miracles Designs

In a suburb less than 3 miles from Manhattan an old house underwent a major facelift. I had a good fortune of being invited to participate on the garden design and installation. In the front a simple corten steel frame lifts an arrangement of Carex Pensilvanica, that will mature into a lawn that will not need mowing. Playful clusters of Boxwoods add structure and winter interest.

Late afternoon light

Georgia Lindsay Garden Design

Inspiration for a small contemporary courtyard garden for winter in London with decking.

Fairfield Beach

Barbara Wilson Landscape Architect, LLC

Photo by Barbara Wilson Landscape Architect, LLC A small residential, seaside property located on Fairfield Beach, Fairfield was renovated by the new owners and adapted for their active family. Barbara was the landscape architect in charge of all of the landscape elements upgrades. She designed new bluestone curving paths to access the front and side doors and designed new landscape lighting to enhance the walks. The existing trees were saved and she designed new shade and salt-tolerant plantings which were added to provide seasonal color and interest while respecting the existing plantings. Along the beach front additional native beach grasses were added to stabilize the dunes while removing some invasive plantings. This work will be phased over the next few years in an effort to keep the sand stable. Beach roses were incorporated into a hollow in the dunes. A small lawn area was renovated and the surrounding Black Pines pruned to provide a small play area and respite from the sun. Beautiful reblooming hydrangeas line the edge of the gravel driveway. Rounded beach stones were used instead of mulch in the island planting along the edge of the adjacent road planted with Miscanthus, Mugo pine and yucca. Barbara designed a custom kayak rack, custom garbage enclosure, a new layout of the existing wooden deck to facilitate access to the side doors, and detailed how to renovate the front door into only an emergency access with new railings and steps. She coordinating obtaining bids and then supervised the installation of all elements for the new landscape the project. The interiors were designed by Jack Montgomery Design of Greenwich, CT and NYC . Tree work was completed by Bartlett Tree Experts. Freddy’s Landscape Company of Fairfield, CT installed the new plantings, installed all the new masonry work and provides landscape maintenance services. JT Low Voltage and Electric installed the landscape lighting.

Modern Yard

Wagner Design Group

This yard was an unusable muddy lawn flanked by tall Arborvitae. We removed the hedge and replaced it will a beautiful Ipe screen that serves as the backdrop to a concrete water feature that spills into a channel that runs the length of the patio. Corten steel planters contain Equisetum plantings, as well as Bamboo that screens a trampoline for the childrens fun. Pavers and black mexican pebbles make up the new hardscape for the patio.

Small Garden Design Ideas

Get Inspired by Gardens on Houzz

A lot of the time when you get home from a long day at work, all you want to do is wind down. Where better to do this than in your very own garden at home? If you do it right, a great garden design can send you right into holiday mode. But where to start? There’s so many styles to choose from when it comes to garden design. Whether you want to create a tropical, modern, contemporary, beach style or country garden - or something else entirely - the large garden image gallery on Houzz has got you covered. Get inspired and collect your ideas to narrow down your desired garden style and features.

How to Create a Garden for Your Home

Depending on which style you’re going for, be sure to know what makes a garden and if it’s appropriate for your climate. You may want to consider adding a deck or other landscaping features, but the plants you choose will mostly dictate your style and what kind of ongoing maintenance is required. Don’t worry if your backyard isn’t very spacious - there are many plants that can thrive even in a small space and allow you to turn your space into a little paradise of your own, regardless of size.

Decide which plants to use

The greenery you choose is critical to your look. For example, if you’re trying to create a tropical garden palm trees and bamboo are your go-to options. Other popular options are golden cane palm trees and fern for ground cover. From there you can add some colour with bright flowers like frangipani, hibiscus or bromeliads. All these are actually quite hardy plants, so once established, your tropical garden is actually quite easy to maintain. Use this structure and apply it to your style. Research which plants you need to set your base for a garden and go from there.

Add some decor

If the plants don’t quite do it for you yet, or if you want to add some extra wow-factor, consider adding some extra features. Even if you can’t accommodate a swimming pool, hot tub or pond, you could look at smaller water features. Simple rocks can also have a great effect, while statues and gnomes will add some extra character. Don’t forget to add some furniture so you have a nice place to sit and enjoy your garden!

Need some help?

Once you know what you want your garden to look like, it may be hard to make it a reality on your own. If that is the case for you, consider consulting a professional to help you with your garden design. Every photo you find on Houzz will lead you to the local pro that did the job, so you won’t have a problem picking the perfect person to help! Whether you need a gardener in Brisbane, a landscape architect in Melbourne or a fireplace installer in Sydney, you can be sure to find one on Houzz.