How to Make the Most of a Small Lawn
They say good things come in small packages, and that’s definitely true for lawns. For one thing, they’re easier to maintain than large lawns, and it only requires a little of creativity to work around the challenges a small space presents. Here’s how to make the most of a small lawn if that’s what you have…
Also see: Top Tips for Landscaping a Small Lawn
Work out your priorities: First of all, decide what you to do with the space. Have you always fancied trying to grow your own vegetables, or are you harboring ambitions to be a green-fingered Mother Nature type that can cultivate even the most exotic species of flower? Whatever the case, be clear about your requirements, and don’t be afraid to sketch it out to help solidify your ideas in your mind. This will help you to plan out the space to ensure it ticks the right boxes.
Look at where the sun is: Next up, you’ll need to spend a little bit of time looking at the amount of sunlight your yard receives. It will depend on the way your property faces and the time of year, but just be mindful that you’ll need to make every square inch count if you don’t have much space to begin with. So, put sun-loving plants where the rays linger for the longest portion of the day, and plan something creative with parts of your lawn that are shadier.
Buy once, buy well: If you’re planning on sectioning off a portion of your small lawn for a patio, for example, (a great idea if you know you’d like to spend significant amounts of time dining or relaxing outside), don’t be tempted to buy cheap paving stones. Instead, buy them once and buy them well – good quality paving stones will last for years if you look after them well, and considering you only have a small area to cover, you’ll find that even the best quality paving stones are very affordable. The same is true for decking, or any other material you want to use to maximize your outdoor space.
Invest in the right tools: On a similar note, make sure you’re investing in the right tools to look after your lawn. For example, a small lawn won’t need a large, cumbersome power mower. Instead, you can probably just use a reel-action push mower, which is much lighter and will probably be easier to store away too. Likewise, if you like to use lawn feed, look for one that’s designed for small areas so that you don’t overwhelm the area you have.
Lawn-Boy 177-32 Lawn Mower is simple yet gives surprising mowing experience. Probably the best available option for a small lawn. You can buy it online.
Grow vertically: A small lawn means you’re unlikely to have enough space to plant everything in the ground. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t have all the flower beds and herb gardens you’re hoping for. The solution is to simply grow vertically – fill your space with climbing plants to add interest and texture to your small lawn, and consider planting blooms in pots that are hung from your fences or walls – you’ll get an awful lot of color and greenery into your yard by doing this.
Use mirrors: Yes, really! Mirrors aren’t just for indoor use. When you place them outside in your small lawn, you’ll find that you make the lawn look bigger by reflecting it. Tuck mirrors behind a trellis or on a fence at the far end of the lawn to cleverly create the illusion of size, and just be careful to take note of where you’re placing it… you won’t want to reflect ugly drain pipes for example. It’s also worth hanging a mirror relatively low to the ground if you don’t want to interrupt a bird in flight. And remember to hang a mirror out of the sun – you don’t want to risk a fire in your yard, or your neighbor’s!
Select your flowers carefully: Finally, give some careful consideration to the plants you want to put in your lawn. Flowering shrubs are low maintenance, but it’s worth paying attention to what time of year they’ll flower and for how long so that one plant is beginning to flower as the other one is reaching the end of its season. Also, you can create depth and interest by adding plants of varying heights to help make your narrow lawn borders look a little thicker.