12 Ways to Make the Most of Your Yard
See how to get more out of every square inch of your outdoor space
Lauren Dunec Hoang
August 26, 2020
Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and in-house designer for Sunset's Editorial Test Garden. Her garden designs have been featured in the Sunset Western Garden Book of Landscaping, Sunset Western Garden Book of Easy-Care Plantings (cover), Inhabitat, and POPSUGAR.
Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and... More
If your outdoor area is on the small side, use that as an asset to create an inviting outdoor retreat. With a few strategic choices to expand views, hide storage and maximize vertical surfaces, you’ll get the most out of every inch of your yard. These gardens all offer smart space-saving solutions and prove that less is often more.
1. Use Your Side Yard
This often-neglected area can be a real asset to a small garden. Use the narrow space to create a sense of arrival to an outdoor lounge and make the garden feel more spacious. To re-create the look here, position an outdoor seating or dining area in the corner of a small lot so that it is visible from the side yard.
25 Ideas to Perk Up Your Side Yard
This often-neglected area can be a real asset to a small garden. Use the narrow space to create a sense of arrival to an outdoor lounge and make the garden feel more spacious. To re-create the look here, position an outdoor seating or dining area in the corner of a small lot so that it is visible from the side yard.
25 Ideas to Perk Up Your Side Yard
2. Create a Hidden Element
Add an element of discovery, and a small garden will feel larger than what meets the eye. Hidden behind a clipped fern pine (Podocarpus gracilior) hedge in this backyard, stairs to the right lead up to a secluded hot tub.
Add an element of discovery, and a small garden will feel larger than what meets the eye. Hidden behind a clipped fern pine (Podocarpus gracilior) hedge in this backyard, stairs to the right lead up to a secluded hot tub.
Here you can see how the steps behind the hedge lead to the hidden spa.
3. Borrow Views
Taking advantage of views — whether those of a city skyline or neighboring gardens — can offer big rewards in a small space. Here, the furnishings and accessories have been kept to a minimum to keep the focus on the view. Transparent railings allow a visitor to look beyond the deck to trees and the surrounding neighborhood, blurring the lines of where the property ends.
Taking advantage of views — whether those of a city skyline or neighboring gardens — can offer big rewards in a small space. Here, the furnishings and accessories have been kept to a minimum to keep the focus on the view. Transparent railings allow a visitor to look beyond the deck to trees and the surrounding neighborhood, blurring the lines of where the property ends.
4. Level Up
Taking a few steps up to a platform gives the sense of a journey to a destination and can make two parts of a small garden feel like distinct areas.
Taking a few steps up to a platform gives the sense of a journey to a destination and can make two parts of a small garden feel like distinct areas.
5. Create Multiple Areas
Although it may feel counterintuitive, breaking up a small garden into defined-use spaces will actually make the area feel bigger. The designer of this urban garden made the most of its lot by splitting the area into two distinct areas: one for outdoor dining and the other for relaxing by a fire pit.
Shop for outdoor furniture on Houzz
Although it may feel counterintuitive, breaking up a small garden into defined-use spaces will actually make the area feel bigger. The designer of this urban garden made the most of its lot by splitting the area into two distinct areas: one for outdoor dining and the other for relaxing by a fire pit.
Shop for outdoor furniture on Houzz
6. Add a Focal Point
An otherwise typical side yard becomes an inviting destination with the addition of a three large cor-ten planters, an L-shaped bench and lushly planted borders. Offering multiple attractive areas for the eye to rest makes a space feel larger. When the plants die down in winter, the pots and bench will still provide a focal point and visually anchor the area.
An otherwise typical side yard becomes an inviting destination with the addition of a three large cor-ten planters, an L-shaped bench and lushly planted borders. Offering multiple attractive areas for the eye to rest makes a space feel larger. When the plants die down in winter, the pots and bench will still provide a focal point and visually anchor the area.
7. Add a Structure
Pergolas and arbors help define an area of the garden for a specific use, such as relaxing in the shade or enjoying a morning cup of coffee. In a small garden, adding a structure creates a different environment in a space that could otherwise feel monotonous.
Pergolas and arbors help define an area of the garden for a specific use, such as relaxing in the shade or enjoying a morning cup of coffee. In a small garden, adding a structure creates a different environment in a space that could otherwise feel monotonous.
8. Build the Biggest Deck You Can
Dinky platform decks feel cramped and can make a small space feel even smaller. Make the most of your plot with the largest deck or patio you can fit. To get a bit more green, leave space along the edges of the hardscape to plant vines to cover the fences, and add some big containers with lush foliage.
Work with a landscape contractor in your area
Dinky platform decks feel cramped and can make a small space feel even smaller. Make the most of your plot with the largest deck or patio you can fit. To get a bit more green, leave space along the edges of the hardscape to plant vines to cover the fences, and add some big containers with lush foliage.
Work with a landscape contractor in your area
9. Keep it Clean
Simple lines and a tight color palette make a small space feel more spacious. Here, the horizontal lines of the house siding are echoed in the detached cottage’s window frame and decking. A color palette of gray, blue and mahogany across all materials helps make the space feel calm and uncluttered.
Simple lines and a tight color palette make a small space feel more spacious. Here, the horizontal lines of the house siding are echoed in the detached cottage’s window frame and decking. A color palette of gray, blue and mahogany across all materials helps make the space feel calm and uncluttered.
10. Have Storage Do Double Duty
These custom wooden benches provide plenty of seating for garden parties and room for storage with a clever hinged seat design.
These custom wooden benches provide plenty of seating for garden parties and room for storage with a clever hinged seat design.
Outdoor cushions can be tucked inside under the bench seats.
11. Maximize Growing Space
Vines, espaliers and containers are all your best space-savers when it comes to getting the most out of a limited area. If a small garden can’t accommodate a full-size fruit tree, take advantage of an otherwise wasted planting area to grow an espalier along a sunny wall.
Vines, espaliers and containers are all your best space-savers when it comes to getting the most out of a limited area. If a small garden can’t accommodate a full-size fruit tree, take advantage of an otherwise wasted planting area to grow an espalier along a sunny wall.
12. Go Dark
Charcoal-colored walls and fences disappear and trick your eye into expanding the boundaries of a space. Here, the dark fences seem to fall away, while the eye is drawn to the vivid green plantings and inviting flicker of the outdoor fire pit.
More on Houzz
Browse thousands of patio photos
Work with a landscape designer
Shop for your outdoor spaces
Charcoal-colored walls and fences disappear and trick your eye into expanding the boundaries of a space. Here, the dark fences seem to fall away, while the eye is drawn to the vivid green plantings and inviting flicker of the outdoor fire pit.
More on Houzz
Browse thousands of patio photos
Work with a landscape designer
Shop for your outdoor spaces
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The purple flowers are perovskia (Russian sage). An easy perennial to grow.
Great photos and ideas. We are getting ready to build a cedar greenhouse. Whenever I mention this, people say, you won’t have any backyard left. I disagree. We have so many compartments to our yard that this will only add even more interesting places to congregate. Besides our own front yard, our adu’s front yard, our rock garden, our bioswale, our rock path and fern garden, our fire pit and vintage trailer/garden shed, an addition like a greenhouse is a perfect fit. The bench along the inside walk will double as seating areas for cool days and evenings here in the PNW as place to entertain and serve dinner and drinks.
It’s your home do to it as you please enjoy it.