Are you thinking about landscaping your garden, but don’t know where to start? Read this article to learn the best plants for small gardens. You can also check out my other articles to get inspired. These include Perennials, Trees, Ornamental Grass, and Daylilies. There’s sure to be a great plant for your little yard. Here are some of the best options:
Perennials
There are several types of small plants that will thrive in a small garden. For example, the foxglove perennial has large white flowers that bloom from July to October. The best way to care for this plant is to deadhead it regularly and keep it well-drained. Mulch the soil to prevent frost damage. It is a versatile perennial that is suitable for gardens in Zones 5 to 8.
There are several types of sedums available, which range in size and blooming time. You may want to choose one that blooms late in the season, such as Autumn Joy. Another type of sedum is the balloon flower. The flowers resemble balloons and are so cute that children love them. You can also choose a perennial that’s unusually coloured, like the Maltese Cross. The colours and textures will add a touch of summer fun to your perennial garden.
Another type of perennial is the pincushion flower, which has dainty purple or blue flowers. The flowers grow between six and 12 inches in height and spread six inches across. This plant needs moderate moisture and well-drained soil to grow. It performs best in full sun, and requires an inch of water a week. The foliage stays low to the ground, making it an excellent choice for front of a border or flower bed.
Another popular perennial is the bleeding heart. With heart-shaped flowers and fine blue-green foliage, it’s a common plant but often overlooked in larger spaces. In a small space, you can experiment with different varieties of this plant. You may also choose lily-of-the-valley, columbine, or turtlehead. These perennials provide color and texture and are also drought-tolerant. They can also tolerate a low-maintenance lifestyle.
Alyssum has a delicate flower that adds depth to the garden. One ounce of seeds will make a small plant about a foot tall. The Flowering perennial, Lobularia maritimum, can be either pink or purple. These plants perform well in USDA plant hardiness zones five to eight and prefer full sun. They also need some protection from wind and frost. Once planted, they can be transplanted into containers.
Trees
You can choose from 1750 different tree species for your small garden, and many of them are suitable for your space. If you’re unsure, click the button below to browse the list of small garden trees. These trees will add a dazzling display of fall colour and are hardy from zones 4 to 8.
Japanese maple – this beautiful tree will cast a light shade, but still allow the sun to filter through its leaves. Its compact, weeping form and fragrant white flowers make it a popular choice for small gardens. A popular garden plant, it can grow to 8 metres high and spread up to four metres wide. A few of its cultivars are dwarf-sized and ideal for smaller gardens. Listed below are a few of our favorites.
Cherry trees – For their spring bloom, cherry trees make beautiful small garden trees. Prunus ‘Shogetsu’, for example, has beautiful white flowers and orange-red foliage. This tree requires moderately fertile soil and a sunny location. Prunus ‘Amanogawa’ is another good choice. Silver birch trees – Famous for their beautiful bark, these compact trees can grow to a single trunk or a multi-stemmed form. They also make a beautiful perimeter around your yard.
Amelanchier – This tree thrives in a partially to full-sun location and grows well in acid or neutral soil. It’s a low-maintenance tree that provides shade, food, and shelter for pollinators and birds. This low-maintenance, hardy plant will not only look beautiful but will also provide immense benefits to the wildlife in your garden. So, make the most of your small garden with these trees!
Japanese apricot – Acer palmatum ‘Beni-chidori’ is another great tree for a small garden. The red flowers on the branches are a beautiful sight during the spring. And if you have limited space, you can try growing an Amelanchier tree. It’s small and compact, and the bright red flowers are a real treat for birds. Whether you’re planting small gardens for ornamental purposes or as a focal point, you’ll be delighted with the beauty and variety of these plants.
Ornamental grasses
If you have limited space in your small garden, you may wish to consider planting one or more ornamental grasses. These green plants can add excitement to your planting scheme. They grow quickly and are environmentally friendly – there is no staking, dead-heading, spraying, or sowing needed! They will grow quickly and form impressive clumps within 2 to 3 years! To keep their shape, you should trim the grass in early spring to shape.
In small gardens, you’ll need to choose more petite varieties of ornamental grasses. Small garden grasses can add movement and calm to a garden without overwhelming it. They’re clump-forming and don’t grow into weeds. They are tried and true winners. To choose the best grasses for your garden, start by identifying your space. Here are some tips to get you started:
If you’re growing a small garden, ornamental grasses can add movement and soft texture to the landscape. Switch grass is a good choice because of its compact size. It grows between five and seven feet tall and half as wide. It grows best in moist soil and needs full sun to part shade. ‘Karl Foerster’ Feather Reed Grass’ inflorescences can be both elegant and noninvasive.
There are many types of low-growing ornamental grasses that will add color to your small garden. The Japanese sweet flag, for example, grows in moist soil and will tolerate full sun to part shade. This low-growing plant has yellow-green stripes on its leaves. It grows up to four feet and folds its foliage as it grows. It will have beige flower heads in summer. This low-growing ornamental grass is very low-maintenance and requires little work.
The purple moor grass is an easy-to-care-for ornamental grass. This plant can grow between thirty and sixty centimetres tall and has dark purple flowers. The contrast between the light and dark foliage and flowers is what makes this plant so attractive. I personally like Purple Moor Grass – it is subtle enough to stand out even in a small garden. Its foliage looks great in a herbaceous border.
Daylilies
When choosing daylilies, keep in mind that they need a bit of water to get started, and will need to be watered regularly in the first couple of weeks. Once they have grown and thrived for a year, you will not have to water them as often. The best time to plant your daylilies is late winter or early spring, when the days are drier and the weather is warmer.
Although daylilies are not perennials, they will still look beautiful in a small garden if they are planted in the right spots. The best places for miniature daylilies are on the edges of perennial borders or near the front of the bed. If you have a cold climate, go for a dormant variety. In mild climates, you can plant an evergreen variety. For warm climates, opt for semi-evergreen varieties.
You can cut back daylilies in late fall or early spring if you notice the foliage turning yellow. Remove dead foliage and weeds by raking them off the plants before they start to grow. Apply fertilizer in the spring according to the instructions on the package to maintain a healthy soil for your daylilies. Mulching is also a good idea as it helps to control weeds and keeps the soil moist.
When planting daylilies, you should choose a light potting mix as the normal garden soil is too heavy. Instead, go for light peat-based potting mix, available in garden centers in convenient bags. Depending on the type of soil you use, you might need to add additional nutrients. Time-release fertilizer pellets, which are marketed for roses, may also be used. Water-soluble fertilizers are also an option.
Once planted, daylilies grow for several years without any attention, but they do need to be divided every 5 years or so. A single division of a daylily will yield three or four new plants, so you should try to separate them at least once every two or three years. A daylily can be divided by lifting the clump with a fork and shaking off excess soil. Make sure you have at least three fans, as daylilies can grow up to 5 feet tall from a single fan.
