Small yard garden - ideas, please!

[SleepBecomesHim321]

Hello, we have a small L-shaped paved yard in a city in NE England. Does anyone have any ideas/inspiration to share from their yards? Feeling a bit uninspired but is only outdoor space we have. Been all over Pinterest and Insta so after 'real' pics if possible. Thank you.

As an idea, this was 2014 so about 2 years after I started work on it!

Thank you @LMBoston . Truly stunning 😍

Ours is very similar but NW. Part of it is shaded. We have a patio with gaps and a couple of raised beds. In the gaps we have ground cover (low growing chamomile, baby's tears, alpine strawberries, herbs). I also have a mini greenhouse (4ft by 6ft footprint).
Also loads of pots!

Those are some gorgeous gardens!

@LMBoston yours is fabulous. My new garden is bigger and I'm going for as much of a cottage garden look as I can. I love the topiary idea of taking a cone and adapting it.

Lovely photos GardenNinjalng . It’s nice to see plants between your paving. We have a courtyard area before the larger garden. I love to see the small self seeded plants between the paving.

[quote GardenNinjaIng]@LMBoston yours is fabulous. My new garden is bigger and I'm going for as much of a cottage garden look as I can. I love the topiary idea of taking a cone and adapting it.[/quote]
What I really want is a topiary squirrel/hare/deer/peacock. I’m too impatient though! Might have a go at a crown from a box ball… what’s the worst that can happen [grin

I hope you’re going to post about your new garden, I love seeing ideas take shape, so inspiring. How exciting!

Thank you so much for sharing so generously - I'm feeling very inspired. Those two gardens are so beautiful! Really really special. Thanks for the pics. Lots to research....

I had wondered about some large pots with big, fast-growing plants in, just to bring some 'rapid greenness' to a barren space. Bamboo seems to meet the brief but I'm not sure I love the look of it for my yard.... am I missing an obvious alternative? Thank you.

Ferns provide instant green and are easy to look after.

I grow Melianthus Major in a large pot, a cutting from a friend, it’s in its 3rd year and doing well.
Bergenias, Elephants ears have big leaves and pretty flowers, also there are some very large Hosta varieties.

This thread might be responsible for me going to the garden centre today 😂. I do need some compost to get started with my seeds but would have dragged my heels if it weren't for these fabulous photos!

I have a no photos rule on here but ferns, crocosmia, hostas, agapanthus, peony, hellebore, hydrangea, climbing rose, ornamental trees like this one, are all grown in pots here, honeysuckle, perennial sweet pea and a herb garden plus a whole range of perennials.

The key for success is feeding everything with what it needs and the right amount of water.

I am inspired to find a climber for the back part of my little garden, NE facing. I'll put it in the ground though not a pot. Let's see what I can find!!

I got my Rocket Gardens catalogue so I might be ordering from them today!

I've posted these before but this is my new small front garden.

Trying to get as much height as possible and 'borrow' trees from my neighbours.

Not my thatched cottage....

That’s lovely … not sure it looks small though 😂.

@LMBoston that is glorious, well done you!

Agree with @DidymusAmbrosius - I have found the spaces with most restrictions have brought the most pleasing results

@GardenNinjaIng that is so lush & tranquil. Wow, new photos are amazing!

We're reclaiming a part of the big back drive & made a gravel pit-very much a work in progress. Decided to put the impending greenhouse along the back of the bench-we were going to build a planter wall there to screen the car off view from the playroom with patio doors looking out. This is a bad photo of photo. The nicest bit is a sheltered shady raised bed to the side. And we used stabilisation grids for the gravel. They are amazing!

@LMBoston Wow! Your hard work has paid off. Can I ask, is your dog male or female ? My male dog has destroyed so many plants by peeing on them 🙈

@userxx It’s a boy, but he pretty much refuses to wee in the garden apart from the odd one up the side of a pot! Luckily for my plants, not so luckily for me when I have to go for a walk in my pyjamas…

He does have a penchant for eating verbena, geraniums and parsley though. Can literally strip a plant bare in seconds!

Mine also eats the plants, not the ones he pees's on though...... my garden looks very bare! I think we have the same breed, maybe they should be vegetarians. I shouldn't complain about the peeing, better than a walk around the block at 12am.

I can dream of a lush green garden.