What would you do with this very small garden? (Photo)

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Looking at a property which is lovely but the garden is absolutely tiny. It's probably 4.5 metres wide by 5.5 metres long.

I'm crap with this sort of thing - what would you do to make this into something interesting or useable?!

If you can afford it, ask a garden designer to look at it. It is amazing what can be done (see Chelsea flower show, for example).
But 4.5m square is quite small for a back garden - is it overlooked?

I'd probably paint a fence or two in a colour - like lavender or duck egg. I'd use the patio area as a seating area. Maybe replace it with decking and I'd buy a nice table and seating area with something to shade the area like a parasol.

I would dig around the edges of the grass against the fences so I could add plants and in the grass corners at the back I would probably grow a couple of trees.

I'd fix some trellis to the fence to grow vines up and purchase some bird feeders and a bird bath etc.

Depends on your budget also. You could go more extravagant but I'm used to making do with what I've got!

And I've always like stepping stones so you could add some of those to create a trail across the grass.

It's semi detached so overlooked by next door but that's it, to the right is a gravel driveway and behind it is a parking area.

Love the idea of trees in the back corners and some vines, as well as adding some colours to the fences. The patio is not currently big enough for seating though.

That isn’t a small garden! Ours is much smaller and is perfectly useable by our 3 kids! A great way to save space is to have a bench table, maybe in a corner. So you don’t have to have loads of chairs taking up space. Can even have a lift up lid on the bench for storage. I agree that plants growing up the fence and trees always look lovely.

It really depends on your needs, e.g. Outdoor parties, children, pets etc time available for maintenance, budget etc

Here are some ideas but have a google or go on Pinterest, to the bookshop etc and you'll find lots of inspiration.

Have a look at artisan gardens over the years at Chelsea for inspiration. You have a lovely fence and you could be bold with it if hats your thing - dark grey or aubergine? That is a lovely space and you could have a beautiful garden in it. Think about how much time and inclination you have for maintenance, what you want to use it for, aspect, type of soil etc before you do anything. My advice would be not to try and do too much with it as buying everything you fancy when you visit the garden centre on any given day just won’t work (I say this from experience).

Good ideas above. Depends who is going to use it and what for - I would keep the patio (less maintenance than decking surely?). Work out which way the garden faces and so how much sun it will get. If it's a new build, the soil might not be great so I would look to put some raised beds in with clematis on some on the fence. If you don't have small children, I would go brave and not just put beds around the edge.

A good idea I've seen on here is visit the garden centre every month and buy something in flower that month, then you'll get interest throughout the year.

I'd paint the fence. It's quite imposing. I'd go for a pale sage green. Put a few trellises in first,

I'd then dig some borders in and plant a mix of ground covering plants and climbers for the trellises. Evergreen flowering clematis or jasmine etc and rhe like.

Then lots of containers, flowers, palms, roses, etc on the patio.

It could look lovely but needs some colour and interest. in there.

It is a small garden and will feel smaller if you want a lawn and beds. Do you have children and will they want to play ball games etc?

Which way does the sun go? What’s the soil like?

What is the orientation of the garden ?
I wouldn't put decking down- apparently rodents love then and live underneath them
A small olive tree in the corner if the orientation is right.
Trellis with the purple or white flowered potato plant climber - solanum. It's so easy to grow.
Pots with carnations come back ( well mine did and they got no care from me over the winter).
A nice round garden dining set in a natural colour not the dark grey or brown - You have such choice in the UK compared with us in Ireland.

I wouldn’t do traditional boarders all the way round as you’d end up with barely any space left in the middle.

I’d definitely go up with a small tree - it will take the eye up and away from all the fencing. If the garden really is only 4.5 x 5.5m, I probably wouldn’t have a lawn either as it’d be a pickle to mow and there’s no space for a shed to keep a mower and other bulky stuff.

It really depends on how you want to use the garden. But I would seriously consider ditching the lawn, and going for beds, pots, gravel, paving and stuff. Are there nice things to see beyond the garden? Distant trees, hills, nice buildings? If so think more about drawing the eye to the nicest view rather than screening the ugly bits.

Don't plan trees until you know where the sun falls when, so you get shade where and when you want it.

Oh thank you all!

Some great ideas, and you've made me feel much more positive about it. No child wanting to play ball games in it (too old, goes to the park!) but do have a dog so will need to keep some lawn so he has somewhere to do his morning and evening wee.

We have a similar size. We painted the fence black and put planter boxes all around the fences painted black also. We are very overlooked, so in the planter boxes along the back, we planted 5 Himalayan birches. White of the tree looks lovely against the back. We have trellis up the top and it’s covered in different climbers from our neighbours, so while overlooked, we are cocooned in greenery up high.

On our paved areas we have an outdoor sofa/dining table. We have 4 dc 7-12, so littered with their crap also.

I have a minky washing line that retracts also.

You garden is a great space to do something really interesting - nice dining and bbq area?

do have a dog so will need to keep some lawn so he has somewhere to do his morning and evening wee.

Our dog is as likely to wee on the patio as on the grass. And dog wee isn't great for grass anyway - bitch wee is worst but dogs can scorch it too. A gravelled area might be good perhaps.

Oh with no kiddies wanting to kick stuff you can have a lovely space! Think about making "rooms" with trellis or plant screening, with surprise vistas of a particular plant or pot or object.

Really think about plants for year-round interest, and scent! So there is always something looking pretty. Daphne gives wonderful winter scent, and looks good all year. Have that by the back door. Bamboo if properly contained is lovely narrow screening, and makes the loveliest noise in the breeze.

Or think about wildlife stuff if that's your bag.