There are lots of routes you can go down, from strings of festoon lights, to beautiful lanterns dotted around. Named after the inimitable gardener Capability Brown, this essential tool makes short work of all trowel tasks and promises to be a much-loved gift. Just as we tend to keep small rooms inside our homes minimally furnished and to a limited color scheme if we want them to feel larger, we can apply this to our small garden ideas to enhance them. Learn about the plant life cycle, extract DNA from fruit, and discover the effects of acid rain, gravity, and colored light waves on plant growth. Small gardens, city terraces, balconies and even unloved corners can all make enticing outdoor spaces with a little care and attention.

In this tiny outdoor space, extra storage can be found in the built-in seating while the steps also offer different levels to place plants — providing the illusion fluidity and space. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the garden is over 250 years old and houses over 50,000 living plants. Our guide will take you through the necessary steps of how to plan a small garden, so that you don't have to compromise with your outdoor space.

Either exploit a borrowed view beyond the garden boundary or create a strong vista within the space,’ says Artisan Landscapes’ Alice Ferguson. Living, or green, walls, once the domain of designer installations and pioneering commercial sites, are increasingly making their way into residential gardens. Now you've decided on your furniture and the layout of your small garden, it's time to fill out the remaining space with plants, glorious plants. Visual tricks, good lighting, interesting planting and comfortable seating will play to the strengths of the most awkward or compact of gardens. The fragrance will be all the more noticeable in a small space especially if you combine several scented climbing plants, like the climber, Trachelospermum jasminoides, lavender for containers or nicotiana for evening scent.

Ponds don't have to be large: if you don't have room for one, you can create a beautiful pond in a pot. Often used on a grand and formal scale, try topiary forms in short-on-space areas to dramatic effect. If you're looking to make space by cutting down a tree or too, recycle the wood by sawing up lengths of the trunk, stripping it of bark and attaching castors to the base. Complement any rattan garden furniture with throw rugs and cushions to make the seating area ultra relaxing. Another tool made for real use, this kids’ wheelbarrow from Robert Dyas is made from metal and has a working rubber tyre.Just one colourful piece of garden furniture can liven up your garden – and it’s the perfect excuse to upcycle that old garden chair,' says Justyna Korczynska, senior designer, Crown Paints. Car boots, antique fairs and flea markets are all good sources for furniture and they often have old Bristol sinks too that can be used as planters. A garden with simply a patio or decking with no lawn would be the most low maintenance choice, but if you want to have some greenery and interest then opt for hardy shrubs and evergreen plants. Another way to cut the cost of a garden makeover is to swap decorative paving for gravel or decking. A winding path through the plants can slow down the journey and trick any visitor into feeling like there is more space in your garden,' Ash reveals.

There’s a large variety of tomato species out there but if you are limited for space choose smaller types such as cherry tomatoes. The well worn appearance of an old or no longer used wooden step ladder also adds rustic charm to your garden. With a background of studies in Interior Design, her career in interior journalism was a no-brainer and her passion for decorating homes is still as strong as it ever was.

Using clever corner seating will not only use the space most effectively, the high-back sofa design can help to hide a large portion of said imposing walls. She also suggests adding a comfortable and relaxing seating area so that you can relax with friends and chat over a cup of tea or a glass of wine.