Get More From Your Garden

One of the biggest challenges we all face these days is a lack of open space. For many of us living in towns and cities we have limited garden space for all that we’d like to do out there. The challenge is how can you fit more garden into less space?

You can start by doing an audit of what you really need. This is a bit like clearing out your wardrobe and keeping the key elements, throwing out the things that have seen their day and maybe keeping a few things for old time’s sake! When I do my big annual tidy up – usually on Boxing Day – I make a big pile of all the rubbish, un-planted pots of plants and all my planters. I’ll clean up the good pots, smash up the cracked pots (great drainage material), prune and clean up the dead leaves so I can literally see the wood for the trees.

So what should go back into that small garden? Well a good system is to look at smaller versions of everything you want. Reduce the storage space you need by giving your large collection of big forks and spades to charity and investing in multi-tool systems that have one handle but changeable heads. If you want to have a water feature in the garden it doesn’t have to be a large natural pond. A small water bowl can be just as useful to insects and birds. Site it where you can see it from inside and you can watch the birds as they use it.

Growing some produce in a tiny space is one of the simplest things to do and there are many proven strategies for doing so. The simplest and most effective method is to use square foot gardening. There is lots of advice online and organisations like the Eden Project can sell you ready made planters but it’s also easy to create your own square foot plot and grow an abundance of vegetables and herbs year round using this method. The great thing is that you can even do this on a balcony. If you have more space you might discover the principles of forest gardening that allows gardening on seven levels and really uses garden space effectively.

A regular complaint about garden centres used to be that you’d buy a dwarf plant only for it to grow into a monster. That term can mean just a smaller version of something even bigger so read the label to see exactly how big it will grow. There are lots of small versions of great plants including Ballerina fruit trees. These trees have a main trunk but small lateral growth, so fitting into very small spaces, even patio pots. There are lots of apple and pear varieties available and the new supply comes out in the autumn so it’s a great time to be planting. You should also think about using espaliered and cordon fruit against a wall and look out also for new varieties of plants such as Hosta ‘Mouse Ears’, small patio roses and a new variety of Verbena boraniensis coming out next year that is much lower than the usual specimen.

These are all quick and easy solutions that are based on selecting the right product for your small garden. If your budget goes a little further, it’s worthwhile hiring a professional to help you develop other ideas that will utilise every available space. Vertical planting systems that allow you to literally grow plants up walls have now gone past the experimental stage and are widely available. They do require quite a lot of maintenance so I’d only really advise them for keen gardeners, but they add a lot to an environment, aesthetically and by cutting down pollution. Another strategy is to use roofs - even sheds and flat roofs where you’ll never actually walk - to create an even greener environment that wildlife will love. Succulents growing on a shed roof look fab and require virtually no maintenance!

There is one last idea that is definitely my top tip. Wherever possible, plant into the ground because pots and planters take up more space than they should and plants will always be happier planted directly into the soil. The few exceptions are for those plants that survive the slugs and snails better in a pot, so if you love Hosta, like I do, you’re excused!