Small gardens
Small garden design inspiration, ideas and expert advice. Everything you need to know about designing and planting small gardens
A wildlife and child-friendly garden in California
In a California suburb where neat squares of lawn are the norm, landscape studio Terremoto has created something different.
Designers reveal just ONE change that can transform your garden
Updating your garden can seem like a mammoth task – but what if you could make just one change to give your outdoor space a new lease of life? The experts weigh in with five transformational tips
Discover a bijou garden in Amsterdam, perfect for entertaining
Faced with a tight deadline, designer
Stefano Marinaz came up with a practical
design for this small, verdant, urban
garden that’s perfect for entertaining.
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How to create a beautiful garden using only pots
Designer Charlotte Harris gives her expert advice on creating a container garden on a patio, balcony or roof
Little garden, big ideas: how to make a small garden look bigger
There's no need to feel hemmed in by your small garden - here are the experts' design tricks you need to make it look and feel bigger
How to make a small city garden look huge: this gardener replaced her lawn with a flower-packed paradise
Libby Webb took out the lawn in her Edinburgh garden to create an immersive, plant-packed space that is an inspiration to home gardeners everywhere
Sworn enemies no more: we should ban the word ‘pest’ and give garden critters a rebrand
We should stop labelling creatures as sworn enemies, argues Cleve West, if we want to ensure our gardens are truly welcoming to wildlife.
This professional designer transformed his own typically long, narrow town garden into an urban oasis
Landscape architect Matt Evans has turned his typically long, narrow, town garden in Bath into a plantsman’s paradise.
Parking space vs front garden? It is actually possible to have both
Off-street parking and an attractively planted front garden needn’t be mutually exclusive – there are lots of designs that combine the two.
7 garden design rules you can totally break, and the one you never should
Leading garden designers tell us which tenets of design they love to ignore, the common demands they try to talk clients out of
Clematis montana aren't always rampant: if you're looking for a small climber, then these less vigorous varieties could be what you need
Although known as vigorous plants, Clematis montana can be also be medium sized or even compact. Here are some recommended varieties from the National Collection at the garden of National Collection holder, Val Le Neville-Parry.
A small city garden that looks good 365 days a year with top designer tips for interest in every season
In making a garden for photographer Alister Thorpe, designer Stefano Marinaz was keen to ensure there would be something worth shooting every day of the year
6 secret tricks of garden designers to make your garden look and feel better
Good gardens usually reference a few tried and tested design tricks – here's how to incorporate some of them into your own space.
How to build a natural swimming pond in your garden
Discover tips on how to build a natural swimming pool or pond in your garden, from expert designer Will Tomson
Stuck with a slope? Top ideas and inspiration for steps and ramps in the garden
Expert advice from Andrew Wilson on how to cope with level changes in the garden, with ideas on including steps and ramps with safety and accessibility in mind
You can have a sustainable garden that's also beautiful - here's how to design stylish ecological gardens
Charlotte Harris explains how to design gardens that are ecological and beautiful in her expert guide to sustainable garden design
This tiny city garden was transformed into a marvellous mini woodland glade with nine trees and designer touches
From a small, square, city plot, Stefano Marinaz has created a luscious, multi-textured garden brimming with interest and life.
A zero waste garden: this space was completely transformed, without sending anything to landfill
Designer Miria Harris gave herself the challenge of a no-skip, zero-waste project, giving away, recycling or reusing everything in this back garden before transforming it into a space her client could love.
Words: Zia Allaway, Photographs: Rachel Warne
How to lay a hedge
Interested in the centuries-old skill of hedge laying? Follow our guide on how to lay a hedge and learn about the traditional ways to lay a hedge. Words Louise Allen, photography Andrew Montgomery, illustration Liam McAuley
What is soil? You may think you know, but there's a lot going on under your feet
Think of your garden soil as a living organism that needs gentle handling and you will reap the benefits in healthier plants, urges no-dig gardening expert Charles Dowding
How to make a small suburban garden, and the surrounding street, a truly magical space, with Super Bloom’s Jac Semmler
In the middle of suburbia, Super Bloom’s founder Jac Semmler has created a floral wonderland that spills out on to the street.
Words: Georgina Reid, Photographs: Caitlin Atkinson
A small sloping backyard was given a designer update and is now a beautiful, flower-filled family garden on different levels by Farlam & Chandler
Design duo Farlam & Chandler has transformed a heavily shaded plot into a beautiful, flower-filled family garden
Think you want a small tree? You really need a 'trub' - a tree-like shrub - and we've got 13 expert picks
Want to create height and interest in a small garden? You might think you want a tree, but you really need a tree-like shrub – a ‘trub’
Watch Nigel Slater's exclusive tour around his own small garden and discover why he wouldn't want a bigger one
While Nigel Slater might occasionally dream of a larger garden, the joy he feels cocooned in his tiny basement courtyard has convinced him size isn’t everything.
Illustration: Paul Wearing, Portrait: John Campbell