Having a small garden is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, some would consider it a large blessing in a smaller package, since it takes far less maintenance to sustain a beautiful cottage garden. The following are tips to maximise the use of a small yard, where less is more and more is easily achieved.

• Your garden is bare. It’s a beautiful site to see the blank canvas before starting to paint. It is suggested one draws a sketch of the basic layout of the garden, particularly where coordinates are concerned. If one is going to incorporate feng shui, a sketch is also handy. From this initial drawing, one is now able to determine what type of designs they should use.
• Then one must decide which look they are going for. Do you want to create the illusion of more space, or make it seem as small and cosy as it is?
• This is later created by the use of certain types of foliage and using the garden’s natural contours to create the chimera of more space.
• After that, one must decide what theme they would like to incorporate. It can be a variety of different themes, or one underlying throughout. This is most often determined by the actual location of the garden. This must be selected carefully for maintenance purposes.
• Next, take a walk through the garden. You need to establish whether or not you wish to put walkways down, so get a feel for the length of the garden as well as various potential pathways. This will add to the illusion of more space.
• If you are going for the warm, cosy garden, you can use a lot more objects. The plants will be more lush, and one can make use of water features, statues and stones or pebbles. Bridges and decks can also be used.
• If cosy is the case, be careful not to clutter your garden. Less is more is too true a statement. If the garden is cluttered, it gives the ‘unkempt’ impression, and is much more difficult to maintain.
• If you are going for the space illusion, it is suggested that darker plants and better lighting are to be used. Darker plants, like olive green or purple, make the garden seem bigger. Employ lighting at various points. Use colours if you wish to get that night time effect.
• Choosing the right wall colour will also add to depth. White walls will make the garden seem bigger; whereas darker shades reduce the illusion of space. If you want to be really daring, use of mirror on the back wall. This creates much more space, or so one would think.
• Once your plan has been finalised, find a way to create a focal point in the garden, something that initially attracts attention. This is also a way to maximise space.