Even the smallest garden can be beautiful if you plan and design your space carefully.
First, list features you would like or need to keep, like space for growing edibles in containers, any hard landscaping like paths and seating areas, and privacy. Also take note of sunny or shady areas and the style of planting, wildflower, country cottage, formal or exotic.
If there is an existing lawn, it really needs to go! Lawns are high maintenance and, in small spaces, really not worth keeping. Instead, consider other surfaces, such as gravel, through which plants can grow, or pavers, with space between for ground cover plants.
Dividing a small plot can actually make the garden seem larger! Using curved paths, trellis, or a large statement plant either in a container or the ground will help create the illusion of a larger space.
It’s preferable to use a few large containers rather than lots of smaller ones, which can look cluttered. Larger containers also retain moisture far longer than smaller pots.
Ideally, try to use containers of similar style and colour for a more consistent look.
Utilise vertical spaces such as walls and fences to grow climbers or create a ‘green wall’, using planting pockets for herbs, edibles or bedding plants.
Welcome wildlife with the pretty, fragrant blooms of the Starry Jasmine (Jasmine multipartum) which will attract a host of pollinators, and birds, especially Sunbirds, will love the flowers of the Cape Honeysuckle (Tecoma capensis).
Encourage more nature into the garden by planting Polygala myrtifolia (September bush), Aloes and Hibiscus , much loved by butterflies and bees, and perennials like Echinacea, Salvias, Osteopermums, Agapanthus, and nectar-rich plants like Cape forget-me-not, Gazanias, Calendula, Geraniums, Verbena and Lavenders.
If you have room for a small tree try the gorgeous Pom Pom tree, (Dias Cotinifolia) or the Fuschia (Halleria Lucida).
Small can be amazing!