How To Get A Small Garden Space Ready For Planting

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There are methods for getting a small garden space ready for planting. I’ll go over those in this post.

Some of you recall my patio at my old apartment. It was a large, rectangular space that received a lot of sun, so I could grow most anything.

Below is a collage of that patio garden. I have endless gorgeous photos of plants and flowers I planted there over the 8 years I lived there. This is what some of the areas I planted there looked like.

Clean & Get The Surfaces Ready:

First, clean your surface area. If you have grass and weeds, you’ll have to deal with that to plant a garden in the ground.

If, like me, you mostly plant in containers, then clean up your surface space to get ready for your pots and patio furniture.

This is part of my backyard at my new home. Most of the yard is raised for some reason; I assume it’s due to drainage problems. That area is either covered in weeds, grass, or gravel. It is somewhat challenging to work with.

My Patio & Yard My First Summer Here In 2022:

The photo above was my first year’s garden space, as it was my first summer living here.

I had ankle surgery in late June, so I didn’t get to plant as much as I would have liked. The fall season passed, then winter, and now we’re into spring. And still, I’m having rehab 3 times per week here at my apartment.

I’m just now starting to walk again with a walker, as the damage to my right ankle was extensive. Plus, it’s a 12-year-old injury, and it was my third ankle surgery.

I’ve ordered plants and herbs, and am hiring a neighbor’s grandson to help me clean up the yard and plant them. Casey built a pathway to the sidewalk last summer.

The Pathway Was A Major Improvement:

This was a significant improvement in my yard. Finally, people could walk down my pathway to my living room patio door instead of going to the front door.

From the parking lot, it’s much easier to get to my apartment now. Everyone who comes to visit me parks in front and walks down the sidewalk to my pathway.

I have what I consider a large yard for an apartment. Where I live, there are lots of trees and yards that face one another. So it doesn’t really feel like an apartment complex. It’s more like a neighborhood.

My Tips:

Here are some tips for preparing a space to create gardens, as well as what I think you should strive for in your space.

If you have a small space to garden, you may want to find ways to make it look larger than it actually is.

Create the Illusion of a Larger Garden: 

Just be careful that your mirror does not receive a lot of direct sunlight. I’ve been cautioned about that in the past. A mirror reflects your space, making it feel like even more space.

Determine Your Color Theme:

I always have shades of purple in my garden. Purple blends particularly well with the green in nature. It is a soothing color that often seems to blend into the surrounding greenery.

When you look out across a garden space, dark blue or purple flowers seem to recede. In garden design, you can use this quality to make spaces seem more expansive.

My Japanese Maple In A Container:

Of course, I brought my Japanese maple in its container here to my new place. I love that tree. Many trees grow well in containers.

Last spring, my neighbor helped to plant the Japanese Maple in a larger container, as the roots were outgrowing the container it was in.

You’ll want to choose trees that grow slowly if you’re going to put them in a container.

My Garden Color Theme For 2022:

Last year, my chosen color theme had whites, yellows, reds, and, of course, purples. This year, I’m adding pink instead of red.

I also planted perennials in the ground and containers. Below you see a hosta plant I planted in the ground last year.

I planted two hostas, and both have come up this spring, which I was pretty happy about.

Bring In Furniture For Seating:

Once your garden surface area is clean, it’s time to place the furniture.

Keep in mind that you may need to adjust your layout once you’ve arranged your container garden pots and other elements.

What we have planned in our mind and what works or fits in our spaces sometimes differ.

If you’re going to have a beautiful garden space, you’ll want to sit outside and gaze at your efforts. And watch the birds and squirrels coming to visit.

So, provide your garden space with seating. I have outdoor wicker furniture that I purchased years ago at a discount store, and it has held up quite well.

Seating For My Outdoor Space:

There is a wicker settee in my yard next to the Japanese Maple tree. And there are also chairs on my patio where I can sit and watch the squirrels, birds, and rabbits.

Then bring in the pots and containers. Plan what will be planted in each one and design your patio garden accordingly.

Stack Garden Pots of Multiple Heights:

When you vary the heights of your garden pots, it creates a much more beautiful container garden.

It leads the eye up vertically, which is always a good thing when you’re short on space, as it makes the area feel more expansive than it is.

You might want to consider adding a water feature. It will be soothing and also attract nature to your garden space.

Bring In Annuals For Instant Color:

I typically buy annuals because you get color and flowers quickly. Perennials take longer, but unless they die during the winter, they’ll return in the spring.

I’m going to plant the perennials and then consider adding annuals to pots on the patio.

Add Herbs To Deter Insects:

I’m very fond of herbs, and add various favorites of mine to my garden year after year.

I always plant lemon verbena and pineapple sage. They have delightful scents!

I like to plant chives to add to food for that extra bite of flavor, as well as rosemary and oregano.

At my old apartment, I could plant vegetables because it received a lot of sun. It is the very opposite here. I mostly have shade.

If you choose to plant in large containers, consider investing in rolling plant caddies.

I moved big plants myself for years. But now I’m getting older and paying a heavy price for attempting to move heavy containers by myself.

Planting Roses In Containers:

In case you’re not familiar with my previous patio garden, I had a yellow rose bush in a container in the corner by the gate.

It came back for several years. Then, finally, winter killed it, and I was heartbroken.

Here’s what it looked like growing there in the corner. There was sedum growing on the surface of the rose bush pot.

It was planted in the biggest pot in my garden. Now my Japanese Maple resides in that pot.

Attract Wildlife & Pollinators:

I like salvias, zinnias, and petunias, as well as any flowering plant that attracts bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies.

Yarrow and salvia are two excellent pollinators.

Add Garden Art:

I also have a collection of garden art that I’ve acquired over the years. Most of what I have is still in my patio closet.

Water Sound & Movement:

You can attract birds to your garden with running water. I had a gorgeous cobalt blue water fountain that I unfortunately dropped and broke. Now I only purchase water features that won’t break!

Give your garden lots of love and it will reward you. Each year, add something new to your garden, because that’s just what a gardener tends to do.

(This post was updated on April 23, 2023)