Five ways to make a small garden appear bigger

Escaping to the comfort of our gardens is something many of us relish. For this with restricted outside space, however, this paradise doesn’t always live up to our expectations.

Thankfully, a small garden can be made to look perceptively larger with just a few simple tricks. It is important to work out exactly what you want out of the space and act accordingly, choosing furniture and plant styles which will match your needs.

1. Avoid Large Furniture
Ensure that no large movable garden furniture is placed in the garden as this can make the garden look smaller. If you have simply fallen in love with a large piece of furniture and you think it will look perfect in the garden, put it in one place and build detail around it to make it appear in proportion with the surroundings. There are some wonderful items of bistro garden furniture that look great even in small gardens.

2. Maintain Similar Themes
Try and keep your house and garden similar in theme so that they complement each other. It can be tempting to add lots of extraneous items to the garden to make use of the space but hold back on the clutter and allow the space to seem larger. There are lots of landscaping ideas from Homebase which could help you with this.

3. Stay Small
Stick to small paving stones or bricks to make the garden look larger. Big paving stones can overwhelm a garden and swallow up space so stick with smaller alternatives.
It can also be a good idea to use the similar flooring to that used in the room leading to the garden. This means matching colours and materials, where possible, to achieve consistency in style.

4. Choose Plants Carefully
Climbing plants can be real space savers as they stretch high up the garden walls and, as well as flowering beautifully, can also make it seem like the garden continues further than it really does. Climbing plants often smell great too and fill the garden with dreamy scents invoking happy memories of sitting in the sunny garden in summer.

5. Don’t Forget Lighting
Colour and lighting can improve the look of any garden and give the illusion of space. Light colours such as whites and creams reflect light back into the garden and placing strategic solar lights or other outdoor lighting fixtures in the garden can open up the space and make it appear large yet intimate.