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Grace
& Creativity Under Pressure
Modern
Urban Gardening Trends
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Restoration
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Gardening
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Basics for Urban Gardeners
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Garden Pest Control Tips
Small
Urban Garden Design Tips
Plant
Guide for Urban Gardeners
Recommended
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Small
Urban Garden Design Tips
Urban gardeners often need to be more imaginative with
design and landscaping materials to achieve the same effects
that other gardeners can attain with larger spaces. This section
has a few important tips that will help you make use of your
small space and get great results.
Planning
your garden
- Remember
that in a small urban garden, everything counts. One unattractive
feature in your garden or one wrong plant can ruin the entire
visual effect you’re trying to obtain.
- In
small spaces, you don’t want to have too many different
kinds of plants, or lots of different kinds of landscaping
materials. This will make your garden look cluttered and erratic.
Remember, “Less is more.”
- Make
a rough sketch of the space. Even if your house is microscopic,
sketching your garden or the rooms of your house can be a
useful tool to help visualize what you’re working with,
and what you’d like to achieve.
- Buy
drafting paper and make your drawing to scale so that it is
more accurate. Buy color pencils, tracing paper, etc. so that
you can make different layers of trees, shrubs, flowers, containers,
grasses, etc.
- In
your drawing, you’ll want to include features such as
the views you want to maintain, existing landscape features
such as walls and boundaries, utility poles and boxes, etc.
There may be unpleasant views that you’ll want to block
out, so include these as well.
- Experiment
with different designs before making your final drawing. Make
different layers with tracing paper such as “containers,”
“vegetables,” “sculptures,” etc. and
play around with the design until you find the combination
you like.
-
After you’ve got an idea for your garden, carefully
research the plants you plan on using. Do they grow fast or
require lots of maintenance and pruning? Do they new frequent
watering? Compare the plants’ needs with your lifestyle.
Do you have the time to care for herbs and tomatoes, or would
a small collection of low-maintenance succulents or cactus
be more appropriate?
Garden
features
-
Mirrors are an easy remedy for small spaces. They create the
illusion of more space and work well both indoors and outdoors.
They can also reflect sunlight onto shadier areas. When using
mirrors outdoors, make sure they are weather-resistant.
- Painting
your indoor walls or your outdoor walls and fences light shades
can “open up” your space and help it feel less
claustrophobic.
- Decking,
walkways, raised beds, walls, etc. are all important features.
Try and use materials that go well together.
- Create
themes such window boxes and raised beds all made of the same
kind of wood.
- Small
scale trellises can work great in your garden to hide walls
and boundaries.
- As
mentioned above, container gardening can work miracles in
small spaces, so think about ample use of containers. This
excellent site from Kansas State University can help with
specific plant combinations for container gardens: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/johnson/hort/Containers/Containers.pdf.
- Vertical
space is another important aspect of your design. Shelves,
trellises, and hanging pots can help fill out your vertical
space. This site from the University of Missouri can help
with ideas: http://www.outreach.missouri.edu/gkcmg/vertical.html.
-
Storage of garden tools and equipment can also complicate
things in a small space. Check out these options of attractive
storage containers from Clean Air Gardening that can help
you avoid clutter and keep your equipment organized.
- Remember
that the most important thing in your urban garden is your
creativity. Play, experiment, and enjoy!
 ©
2005 Urban Gardening Help. All Rights Reserved.
Home
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Links l Grace
and Creativity Under Pressure l
Modern Urban Gardening Trends l
Green Roofs
Container Gardening l
Indoor Gardening
l Urban Rainwater Collection
l Hydroponics
l Urban Food Production
Community Supported Agriculture
l Brownfield Restoration
l Community Gardening
l High-Yield Techniques -
Small Spaces
l Soil Basics for Urban Gardeners
l Urban Garden Pest Control
Tips l Small
Urban Garden
Design Tips
l Plant Guide for Urban Gardeners
l Recommended
Products
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