your garden and maximize space with these clever ideas

 Get inspired to make the most of underused areas 

From ugly and dirty side yards to tricky areas behind sheds and dark, shady corners, there are plenty of creative ways to use precious space, no matter how small, to unlock the full potential of your plot. A neglected corner can easily be transformed into a focal point by adding a collection of your favorite garden items or collectibles.

A bench surrounded by planted containers and lights can create a summery spot under a window, while a lumberyard bench is an easy slot-in that provides an eye-catching and practical solution. A folding table piled high with pretty pots can transform a space in front of a shed in minutes, and can be moved to fill gaps when needed, and window boxes can be added above and below: where there’s an empty space, you can be sure there’s a filler waiting for you to find it!

If you’re looking for a more permanent solution and can stretch to a little DIY, now’s the perfect time to get started, as we’re spending more time outside and the weather is allowing us to get a little more creative. Designer gardens are bursting with ideas to pinch, so we’ve selected some of our favorites to get your creative juices flowing

1. Flip the storage script

Get more out of your garden, no matter its size, by swapping screens for dividers and storage walls. Go to town with a truly customized solution that mixes open shelving with closed cabinets, perfect for stashing garden and dining supplies out of sight. Alternatively, Customize a simple open shelving unit. Try the Hilis galvanized-steel shelving or the Omer series with steel grid surfaces.

2. Blank-faced beauty

Turn a blank wall into a living work of art; all it takes is a simple shelf and your favorite potted plants. Truly stunning, no matter which way you look at it, this simple arrangement creates depth, elevates the view and adds drama to a previously unremarkable space. Your arrangement doesn’t have to be as intricate as this beautiful example designed by Camellia Taylor for The Natural Affinity Garden for Aspens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023, where heavy stone shelves jut out through leafy beech hedges. Instead, a simple set of thick reclaimed timbers can be used to set off mismatched glazed ceramic containers

3. Flat Roof Renovation

Go all out with tactile planting when greening a porch, garden shed, or shed roof. Create a trendy, natural, wild garden look with a mix of lush tufted grasses including sedge, fescue and carex, along with tall stonecrops such as sedge, fescue and carex, such as Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ and Sedum

‘Thunderhead’, with their deep purple leaves. Scatter a few small-headed pom-pom alliums such as ‘Lavender Bubbles’ and Allium carolinum’ for early summer colour, followed by a pink and purple sea thrift – Armeria ‘Dusseldorfer Stoles’ is a great option. They are all low-maintenance and great for pollinators and garden birds. Vary the living arrangement further with stone chips, soft river pebbles and rough split stone areas.

4. Living Wall Upgrade

Small but noticeable, why not turn the exposed thin sections of brickwork between your bi-folding doors and windows into vertical gardens, creating a more attractive look and dramatically increasing your available planting space? With a variety of vertical living wall systems readily available, it’s easy to find one that suits your needs and your budget

5. Alpine Game-Changer

Any low-lying garden storage is a bonus for keeping clutter out of sight, but when you fill it with a sleek alpine garden, you’ll double the success. Not only will you be able to appreciate all the details of these soft, tactile beauties (without bending over), but their abundant blooms will also attract plenty of pollinators to your area.

Create a raised alpine bed by first checking that the storage supports are strong enough to support the weight of gravel and stone planters. Or, swap the stone for lighter hypertufa rocks or containers. You can surround the container with peat, pumice or perlite. Before filling the covered area with your chosen aggregate, use wooden pallets to create a surface around the roof of the storage unit. Layer low plants on top and fill with a selection of low, clump-forming alpines such as pink-flowered Saponaria ocimides, also known as Tumbling Dead, saxifrage and houseleeks.

6. Plot-Twist Water Feature

Bring some wow factor to a bare wall and small yard with a wall-hung water feature. Whether it’s a long or short distance, falling water instantly engages the senses, reflects light, and steals the show. A tried and trusted design solution for garden designers, it can distract from a plot’s small footprint and liven up a dull outdoor area. Here, a series of wall-mounted tubs cascade from one to the next, with a self-circulating pump and reservoir hidden behind a smooth rendered wall. A mix of textured foliage, including soft ferns, striped horsetails, and sprawling heucheras, adds to the interesting hanging garden effect.