Small Space Garden Design

 

Designing a garden is one of my favorite parts of gardening. Why? It’s always successful! And I like combing through my seed stash and selecting new seeds, plants from a catalog or garden art to add interest to my garden space. But in many ways designing a garden is not that easy. And I must admit, I rarely ever follow my original plan.

The design of a garden does affect its success or failure so certain guidelines should be followed. This is even more important for the small space garden where space is precious. Below are several areas to think about while planning.

How much time do you have and want to spend on your garden. Picky plants that require more watering or pruning will use more time. Some plants and vegetable seem to take care of themselves. Shade loving plants and drought resistant plants fend well for themselves.

Container planting raised beds and square foot gardening methods use less time because they require less weeding and using limited space are easier to water. Setting up arbors or trellises makes certain plants easier to care for and save space.

Analyze your yard.

Where are the shady and sunlight areas in your backyard? The areas you plan to plant or garden should have 6 to 8 hours of sunlight and areas to rest and relax need some shade. That could be from trees, a patio or umbrella.

Will you be adding new plants or trees? Make sure when you plan that you take into account how tall and wide they will grow and if there are any gas lines or electrical wires close by. You may have also decided to add a small backyard pond, decorative fence or garden art.

Space

To get a better feel for the space available for any garden areas you will need to measure your backyard garden area and decide on a scale for your plan. This will be based on how big your garden is and the size of your paper. Engineering graph paper is best with a scale of ½ inch for every foot of garden. For flip-chart graph paper, a scale of 2 inches for every foot is best. Note: even a small garden area that seems simple will benefit from being planned on paper. It helps to remind you of ideas you had and to make sure they are included in the final planting and planning.

Draw a picture of the garden, as you want it to look. There are cutouts made in the shapes of trees and garden features that you can use to speed up this process. Your children may enjoy helping with this step.

You may want to lie out the new garden area or pond by using a water hose or string. Place it on the ground in the backyard area you selected and see if the size fits the yard and looks natural.

Style

The last step in you small space garden design is to decide on the style that fits you home and family the best. Is it rugged and natural? Or formal and filled with lines and control?

Consider whether you want a lot of plants that wander along the house or walkways and if your garden is for flowers, herbs vegetables or a mixture of all. Remember that vegetables take more room but by growing using vertical gardening methods you can make more use of your available space in your garden.

Birdbath Project

 

 

Setting up a children’s play area in your backyard oasis will give your children a place to call their own and will provide them with hours of entertainment and activity. Swing sets, sandboxes, playhouses and forts are only a few ideas. One other idea for your backyard play area is learning about nature. By setting up a birdbath your child can watch birds and learn to identify them. Below is a birdbath project your child can make. They will take pride in the project they created for their Backyard play area Small birds

Children’s Birdbath project

Select a place in the backyard childrens play area that has a mix of sun and shade and preferably a small tree or bush for the birds to have shelter and protection. This will help you to determine the size of the pot you will purchase and any other ideas for your birdbath project.
 
Next purchase a large terra-cotta plant pot. Make sure it has a saucer and that the saucer is glazed on the inside. The saucer needs to be at least eight inches across and you may decide to select a larger size.

Turn the plant pot upside-down and allow the child to paint designs on the pot. Acrylic paints will work the best for this project. After the pot has dried thoroughly, coat with a clear waterproof sealant to protect the design from the weather.

You may want to suggest designs for the birdbath creation or just let the child create a design on his own. If you have more than one child you can have them decorate parts of the birdbath or have rocks or a bird feeder that also need painted.

The last step is to place the glazed saucer on top of the upside-down plant pot. Check the position then glue in place with Liquid Nails or another construction adhesive. Allow the birdbath to dry completely.

Your final selection for the bird bath will be determined my how the pot looks in its new area, location of bushes and trees and any other projects that were made for the area at the same time.

When you have selected the final position, make sure the birdbath is sitting evenly on the ground. You may need to add or remove soil to level the birdbath. For the final step layer small pebbles on the bottom of the saucer, then add two inches of fresh water.

Your children will want to check the water daily and the birdbath will need to be cleaned occasionally. You may even want to add a few new flowers that attract birds and a birdhouse to your bird santuary.

How to Decorate your Backyard Koi Pond

 

Ponds add to any backyard oasis by creating a more relaxing atmosphere and a tropical feeling to your living area. The addition of Koi fish to your pond will add more color, tranquility and entertainment to the pond area.

Koi fish are a more colorful domestic version of carp. Each Koi has very unique color patterns and watching their elegant movements in the water will fascinate children and adults alike. A well-designed Koi pond will turn any back yard into a backyard oasis paradise. Many Koi pond decorations include waterfalls, lights and ornamental sculptures.

How to decorate your backyard Koi Pond

Water plants add to the gardens tropical look and benefit the fish by supplying nutrients and fresh air to the pond. They also give the Koi a place to relax and hide from the sun and predators. Water lilies and water hyacinth are good choices for you pond. You may also want to look at lotus plants. Make sure the plants are well established in you pond before adding fish that will be about two weeks time. Also you need to keep your Koi well fed with plants and vegetation from other sources so they won’t eat all the plants in their pond. Koi don’t eat salvinia (water velvet), so this plant is another option that you can add to your pond décor.

Install a waterfall or fountain as part of your backyard Koi pond. A waterfall ventilates the pond and supplies much-needed air to keep Koi and plants healthy. It will help keep algae under control with the movement of water. And a waterfall or fountain adds beauty through the water movements, light reflections and relaxing sounds of bubbling water. Water fountains add an elegance to the pond and backyard .  They also add air to the water helping to keep the pond clean and algea free.

Use stones to decorate around or in the pond. You can go for the natural look. I would chose interesting rock shapes in varying sizes. You can also select colorful vibrant stones from garden centers or a pet store.  Take time to arrange them in eye pleasing forms. This is a project your children might also enjoy helping you with. I would also try to set a few of the rock up so that the fish could hide or relax in them

By landscaping the area around your Koi pond you can make the pond look natural and like it’s always been a part of you backyard oasis. Add shrubs, flowers and other plants, both annual and perennial. If you have enough space in your yard you may want to add a stone path that leads to the Koi pond. This will lead the eye and people to your pond making it a focal point in your backyard oasis paradise.

Lights added around your pond will extend the time you spend in the backyard at night and add a mystical feel to the pond area. Tiki lights, hanging lanterns, tree lights and glass floats for the ponds are only a few of the selections you will have. Another lighting alternative are submersible spotlights and egg-shaped lights. Shop around for you best prices.