39 Pretty Small Garden Ideas

Welcome to our gallery of small gardens!

Gardens are a great way to spend extra time. They can bring both life and curb appeal to your home. If you are a green thumb you may feel at a loss without a gardening project near at hand. However, sometimes space and resources do not allow for large and lush gardens.

Luckily, not all gardens have to be expansive and consuming. Gardens can be as miniscule as you wish and made to fit on almost any property. Whatever your space may be there is a way to fit a small garden somewhere.

If you have a green thumb but are limited on room a small garden may be perfect for you. Small gardens give you the opportunity to focus your attention on a small number of plants.

What are the pros and cons of a small garden?

Pros

Equipment – When your garden is smaller you don’t need massive or expensive tools. Typical hand tools should work perfectly fine for most small gardens.
Fill space – If you have small, unused space around your yard a small garden would be great at filling spaces like this. Small nooks and crannies can be spruced up by a small garden.

Cons

Work – A small garden does require less work than a larger garden, but that does not mean that it is no work at all. Small gardens still require maintenance and care to reach full potential.
Noticeable crop loss – Because the garden is smaller, diminished growth becomes more noticeable. When you have crop loss it may be much more difficult to cover up or hide.

Small gardens do not cost as much as larger gardens. They take fewer resources and require less preparation. Gardens under 500 square feet average only $483. This can vary depending on your space and the steps you have to take to get your garden ready. (Source: Red Beacon)

Find more backyard ideas in our definitive guide to backyards!

This small space is teaming with a plethora of flowers and plants. Just because a garden is small does not mean the flowers need to be. There are plenty of small plants with large bounties.

Small gardens are great for filling otherwise unused space. Here is a small garden along a fence. Fences make great backdrops for gardens. They can add some extra elements to your security.

With small gardens you may choose to use small planters. These planters can be creative or created with different design twists. The best part of most planters is that they can be moved if need be. Source: Zillow Digs™

The great thing about small cohesive gardens is that they are easily organized. Your small garden will look precise and purposeful with less effort than it would take for a large garden.

If you are near a natural growth of trees, you can place your small garden near it to incorporate them. This will tie them together, making it look as though the woods were part of a planned garden area.

This yard may be small but it holds a number of amazing plants. The small garden is perfectly cozy and brings a great deal of life to this backyard.

One of the best things about small gardens is that they can find in different spaces. This garden sits along the wall of this home. You are never far from your garden when it is house adjacent. Source: Zillow Digs™

If you have an open space like a patio you can accentuate it by placing a small garden in the center. This gives the area focus and looks fantastic.

Landscape

Small gardens can have a large variety of plants. Flowers and bushes work great for these kinds of gardens. This small garden has some tall plants that can even be seen over the fence.

If you don’t want your small garden to be over-filled you can choose to leave some space between your bushes and plants. This gives the garden an open and airy appeal.

A series of potted plants make a great small garden. These can be moved when need be and are very easy to organize and maintain. Source: Zillow Digs™

Just because your garden is smaller does not mean that you cannot be surrounded by plants. With a small cafe table and chairs you can build a dainty and cozy spot to enjoy your garden.

Contemporary Landscape by London Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Jenny Bloom Garden Design

Many small gardens are in planters or raised garden beds. A brick raised garden bed is a wonderfully classic way to adorn your garden. Brick is sturdy and guarantees your small garden does not get tred on.

By utilizing a variety of plants, your small garden will have great depth and texture. There is nothing wrong with mixing and matching styles of plants in your small garden.

A small garden of plants looks great next to a small pond. Marsh plants look the best next to a water feature such as this and can give your yard a great natural appeal. Source: Zillow Digs™

If you live in a location where planting things in the ground is not possible there is no need to worry. Planter gardens make great small gardens for urban areas and you can still be surrounded by greenery.

One thing you can do with a bush garden is line your fences. This is a great use of small gardens as it can liven up your fences and bring some purpose to an otherwise unused space. Learn more here.

Small gardens look great tucked away in small spaces. The areas between walls and walkways are perfect. If you have some available space you can put a small garden into your patio corner.

If you have plenty of ideas but cannot decide on which one to go with, you may decide to do multiple small gardens. Let your creativity shine and give each of your small gardens different styles and plants. Source: Zillow Digs™

This small garden has a great mix of color tucked into an area with minimal space. This is a wonderful example of what you can do in limited areas.

Small gardens can come in many varieties. Small colorful bushes are a great backdrop for your area of relaxation. They add a touch of zest to your landscape without drawing from the focus. Learn more here.

Small gardens are easy to organize and replicate. This makes twin small gardens possible and easy. Twin small gardens on either side of a feature are a very classy and colorful choice.

One way to make your small garden feel fuller and more extensive is by adding some vines. A wooden lattice with vines works wonders at setting a lush and interesting backdrop.  Source: Julie Gibbons / Flickr

If your garden is small enough it can work as a centerpiece for an outdoor table. A satellite garden like this can even match your larger gardens and work to tie your entire design together.

You can use small gardens to divide spaces as well. This half wall is adorned with a small garden that helps divide this outdoor seating area from the rest of the yard.

This small outdoor area is comprised mostly of deck. On the far end a small tree garden brings life to the space. Even in this modern and sleek design the natural bloom of the trees fits in well. See more of this home here. Designed by 326 C.O.S. Design

A few well placed planters of trees can add a great element to entranceways and patios. These are easy to care for and can be moved and rearranged wherever and whenever you please.

Mediterranean Landscape by Boston Home Builders Jonathan Raith Inc.

A bricked off vegetable garden is the perfect small garden. It looks amazing and can provide nutrition to you and your family. Your yard will not only look great, you will feel great as well.

For the plant lover there is no limit to the joy a garden can bring. A garden is the perfect place to set up a table and chairs. It is well suited to have a place to eat and socialize amongst your colorful plants.

Here is a small space that would otherwise go unused. The small garden makes great use of this space. The vine also creates a great lush backdrop that fills out the look of the garden.  Source: Laurence Simon / Flickr

Using small raised garden beds as dividing walls is a smart use of space. You can include small gardens around your yard to create separate and distinct areas.

When you have a raised patio or deck you can cover the bottom portion with a garden. This prevents the sides of your raised patio from being exposed and can provide more depth and appeal than plain, blank woodwork. See more of this home here. Designed by Axis Mundi Design

Small gardens can be used to punctuate design. If you have a well cared for and manicured lawn, a colorful garden is the perfect addition to line the lawn and give it depth.

The right selection of plants is what really makes a small garden special. Make sure that your plants fit your theme and tone. With a water feature, tall grasses and marsh plants are perfect to exemplify the pond look.