If you think you don’t have room for a garden, think again! With a little imagination, even the littlest balcony, the tiniest patio or the smallest patch of dirt can be transformed into a green oasis. Your city garden must start with a plan. Do your research and choose plants that suit the space – full sun/partial sun/shade, pots versus planted in the ground and how tall/wide the plants will grow. You’ll also want to think about your colour palette and how much time you can devote to maintenance. Below are a few ideas to help you optimize the beauty of your small garden space.

Manage the small footprint. With floor/ground space at a premium, think vertically! Tall narrow shelves, repurposed ladders and makeshift steps are all great ways to maximize your growing and display area.

Have fun with planters. Eclectic is charming! How about galvanized buckets as planters? Or antique tin cans from a flea market? Or terra cotta pots hand painted by your children? A classic choice is distressed wood planters that you can easily build to exactly the size you want.

Enjoy itty bitty fruit trees. If you love fruit trees, this is great news! There are dwarf varieties available of several fruit trees, include orange, apple and cherry. Even a small sunny balcony can easily house these mini-specimens in pots.

Go for groupings. Your plants don’t need to be spaced individually. Not only does a grouping save real estate, it also looks gorgeous! A monochromatic grouping is sophisticated while a profusion of colour is less formal but quite spectacular.

Extend your space. Light your garden so that it looks like an extension of your home. In fact, consider planting using the palette of the room that opens into your garden – bright colours or pretty pastels, etc.  Also try to squeeze even the smallest chairs and table into your garden space. You’ll want to sit and enjoy.

Veggies – yes! Many types of vegetables will grow in pots. Carrots and radishes are hardy while lettuces and peppers may be a little more challenging, but are still feasible.

Welcome window boxes! Remember, they don’t need to be hung off a window – a balcony rail works just as well. Window boxes can even be used for unexpected plants like strawberries.

Save space with hanging planters. An idea I love is to plant herbs in hanging planters just outside your door or window. It makes it so easy to grab a few sprigs for cooking.

Here at our Stoney Creek location, we planted our own city garden which is proof that you can create a gorgeous little garden anywhere. There are flowers and plants along with a vegetable garden on the patio – all planted and tended by our team. It was a group effort, starting with our staff members sharing perennials from home. Our team and family members helped with the digging and planting. Even the plant ID tags were handcrafted with love. It truly is a community garden for our team to share, producing herbs to take home for a recipe, even greens for a lunch salad! We are all very proud of the creativity, efforts and teamwork that went into this green oasis.

Are you inspired to create your own city garden? There’s still time! It’s so gratifying to watch it bloom and grow. Grab your spade and get started!

 

 

 

Tags: flowers, gardening, how to, summer