Planting a small garden can be more challenging than designing a large one, since every inch of space needs to work. To make it easier, we asked leading garden designers and one design-savvy home gardener to share their best tips for filling a compact plot with lush foliage and beautiful blooms.
Done well, the right planting can add year-round interest, create the illusion of space, and attract wildlife to your garden. Here is a selection of the best plants to include in smaller gardens.
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The best plants for small gardens
Silver birch
Birch is popular with designers thanks to the dappled shade it provides in summer, the leaf colour it gives in autumn and bark that provides interest in winter. This Himalayan birch is an excellent choice.
Height and spread: 6m x 6m (in 20 years). RHS H7, USDA 5a-6b†.
Hakonechloa macra
This semi-evergreen grass is a designer favourite thanks to its texture and mounded habit. It is ideal for softening hard edges. Prefers semi-shade. 40cm x 40cm. AGM*. RHS H7, USDA 5a-9b.
Viola cornuta ‘Victoria’s Blush’
An excellent evergreen groundcover, that flowers for months, from spring to autumn. Grow in sun or part shade. 50cm x 50cm. RHS H5, USDA 6a-11.
Ferns
Many small gardens have a lot of shade – perfect for ferns. Try Dryopteris cycadina (shown), a tall, evergreen fern with black-stemmed fronds; Dryopteris affinis, semi-evergreen with dramatic, yellow-green emerging fronds; or types of Polystichum.
Ornamental grasses
Ornamental grasses bring movement and texture, and age gracefully over a long season; many provide interest over winter, too. Try Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldtau’ (shown), elegant Calamagrostis brachytricha or cultivars of Stipa.
Pittosporum
“Smaller gardens are often shadier, so I use plants that stay fairly compact to reduce the chance of them leaning towards the light,” says designer Stefano Marinaz. He often uses this mound-forming dwarf shrub with glossy foliage and scented white flowers. 80cm x 80cm. RHS H3, USDA 9a-10b.
Cornus
“A small garden needs seasonal moments,” says landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith. “Cornus kousa is one of them. It can grow in semi-shade, never gets too big and has two good seasons of interest.” Showy bracts in June are followed by brilliant autumn leaf colour. 7m x 5m. RHS H6, USDA 5a-8b.
Trachelospermum jasminoides
Cloaking walls and fences in evergreen climbers will create a more coherent look, and make a small garden feel larger. Star jasmine, with its scented, star-shaped summer flowers is a great choice. 9m x 3m. RHS H4, USDA 8a-10b.
Astrantia
Versatile and long flowering, astrantias are suitable for sun or part shade, and perfect for the mid layer of a border. Other good cultivars include Astrantia major ‘Alba’, Astrantia major ‘Star of Beauty’and Astrantia ‘Roma’. 90cmx30cm.AGM. RHS H7, USDA 4a-7b.
Prunus serrula
This tree has clusters of white spring flowers followed by small fruits, and in autumn the foliage turns butter yellow. In winter, shiny, peeling bark is an attractive feature. 10m x 10m. RHS H6, USDA 5a-6b.
Hellebore
“Another favourite for small gardens is the hellebore, and I often use this claret- coloured, double-flowered hybrid,” says Miria Harris. “Its slightly tropical-looking, evergreen foliage can dance between different aesthetics and stylistic bents, and it grows well in pots.” 50cm x 50cm. RHS H7, USDA 4a-9b.
Pseudopanax crassifolius
An exotic-looking evergreen from New Zealand that makes a real statement. “Don’t be afraid of taller plants in small gardens,” says Declan Buckley. “Remember the sky is your ceiling.” 4m x 1m. RHS H4, USDA 8b-10a.
Malus 'Evereste'
In spring, this crab apple has red-tinged flower buds and large, white blossom. In autumn, the foliage turns yellow and orange-yellow fruits appear, often lasting into winter. Grown as a specimen tree, it has a conical habit, but is also available as pleached or multi-stemmed. 7m x 6m. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b.