Longer evenings and better weather are turning more attention to the garden, and a new set of design tips is aimed at people who do not have much space to work with. In an article published by The Irish Times, Diarmuid Gavin outlines ways to make a small garden feel more open, comfortable and enjoyable over the summer.
The approach starts with height. Gavin says climbers, taller plants, green walls and other vertical features can draw the eye upward and take attention away from the limits of a compact plot. That can make a garden feel more spacious, while also giving it a more sheltered and private feel. He also suggests using hedging or climbers along a boundary to help link the garden with what lies beyond it.
Another part of the advice focuses on the edges. Darker boundary colours such as deep greens, charcoals or soft blacks can help those lines fade into the background, making the garden feel less boxed in. By contrast, pushing everything hard against the borders can make a space feel smaller, because the whole layout is visible at once. A cluster of planting, a small tree or even a seating area placed slightly off-centre can add depth and stop the garden from reading as a flat rectangle.
Gavin’s message is that a small garden should not be taken in all at once. When the eye has to move through the space, rather than landing on every feature immediately, the garden can feel larger and more interesting. He says movement in the planting arrangement or the path design can help create that effect, giving the space a sense of flow rather than a static layout.
There is also a practical link between the house and the garden. Using similar tones or materials inside and out can make the transition feel stronger and more natural, which helps the outdoor space feel like part of the home rather than a separate patch beyond it. The advice is aimed at a familiar summer problem: how to make a compact garden feel calm and generous without adding a single extra square metre. The answer, Gavin says, is to use height, soften the boundaries and let the space reveal itself in stages.
