For the past 7 years, I have had to adapt and limit my gardening aspirations. Rose cottage’s rear garden is a meager 14ft by 12ft in size and the front garden is not much bigger. I love variety in the garden; plenty of colour, texture and scent, so what have I found works in such a small space? Here is a list of plants that you may find best suited for a tight spot to get the most out of your small garden.
Grow Vertical!
Tall Plants
Tall plants for a small garden
Taller plants, slimmer plants can be put at the back of borders for maximum effect in a small garden.
- Bamboo ‘Shibataea chilensis’ – Chinese Dwarf Bamboo
- Columbine (Aquilegia)
- Campanula pyramidalis
- Dwarf Hollyhock
- Dwarf Iris
- Echinops ruthenicus
- Sunflower
- Foxglove
- Stocks (Matthiola)
- Verbascum
- Canna indica
- Gladioli
- Verbena bonariensis
- Agapanthus
- Belamcanda
- Delphinium
- Larkspur
- Lobelia cardinalis
- Nicotiana suaveolens
- Evening Primrose
- Eremurus
Vertical Space – Climbers
Climbers for the smaller garden
If your horizontal space is a little ‘area challenged’, then make the most of the greatest, limitless expanse in your garden – the sky! A good strong trellis will not only add more growing area to your yard, but also add plenty interest and privacy.
- Sweetpea
- Clematis
- Climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala)
- Chilean Glory Vine
- Black-eyed Susan
- Morning Glory (Convolvulus)
Borders & Containers
Plants for borders and containers
Work in miniature. If you have only a limited area for bedding plants, then choose wisely. I’d recommend a mixture of alpine plants and smaller annual flowers.
- Thymus vulgaris ‘Aureus’
- Bacopa
- Lobelia
- Mesembryanthemum (Livingstone Daisy)
- Verbena
- Aubrieta
- Begonia Semperflorens
- Candytuft
- Cosmos
- Cyclamen
- Dahlia ‘Figaro’
- Delosperma
- Impatiens (Busy Lizzie)
- Limnanthes (Poached Eggs)
- Linanthus
- Nemesia
- Tagetes
- Viola
- Dwarf Aquilegia
- Saxifrage
- Alyssum
- Sempervivum
- Stonecrop (sedum)
Hanging Baskets
Plants for hanging baskets
You can always depend on hanging baskets in a small garden…even if you have no garden at all! In my mind, one of the best ways of getting maximum colour in a limit space.
- Trailing Violas
- Trailing Sweetpea
- Bacopa
- Trailing Begonia
- Dichondra
- Ivy Geranium
- Diascia
- Lobelia
- Fuchsia
- Mini Petunia Calibrachoa
Vegetables for small gardens
Vegetables for a small garden
You don’t have to convert what little space you have into a vegetable patch. Certain vegetables in the right settings can look great as feature plants and provide plenty of fresh food.
- Potatoes – grow in tubs and buckets!
- Runner Beans – grow up against a trellis, garage or shed.
- Carrots & Parsnips, Beetroot – grow in grow-bags.
- Sweetcorn – use as screening.
- Lettuce & Salad crops – grow in tubs.
- Onions – grow in amongst flower border.
- Asparagus pea – Plant in hanging baskets.
- Strawberry- Plant in hanging baskets.
- Leaf Beet (Swiss Chard) – grow in amongst flower border.
- Chives – grow as alpine or in flower border.
- Chili/Hot Peppers – grow as container/pot plants (very ornamental).