Bay Area Landscape Design Tips for Small Backyards

Everyone admires beautiful landscape design, but planning and experience are necessary to design, install, and maintain beautiful gardens, lawns, and hardscapes. Designing a great space may even be more difficult when working with a smaller space. Without careful planning you may end up with a space that feels cluttered, crowded or cramped instead of the relaxing mini getaway you had hoped for.

Here are Some Great Bay Area Landscape Design Ideas for Smaller Spaces

Just because your back yard is small does not mean it cannot be a haven that you look forward to enjoying each morning or evening. Some small back yards are exceptionally beautiful. In addition small backyards often mean less expense, water use, and maintenance for the home owner, so if you can make a small space feel big it could be a big win-win. Read on for some ways to make the most of small outdoor spaces.

1. Create an Outdoor Hangout
   Especially in the Bay Area, where the weather is almost always pleasant, you’ll want a great place to spend time entertaining, eating, and lounging outdoors if possible. Create a small outdoor living room with comfortable seating, and a place to set drinks and snacks.
2. Take advantage of vertical surfaces
   While you may not have a lot of square footage, you may have walls or fences bordering the space that could be used for a vertical garden, simple decorations, and outdoor lighting.
3. Bring on the water features
   Small water features are affordable and can add the relaxing sound of flowing water to your small back yard. Plus if you have a pet, they will certainly enjoy the source of drinking water.
4. Use Tiered Planters
   By using tiered plantings you’ll be able to fit more plants in a smaller space and also create a more attractive and finished look for your space.
5. Skip Grass
   Mowing in tight spaces is difficult or impossible, you may also have limited sun exposure to keep a lawn green, so skip it and opt for a different surface like patio pavers or if you simply must have a grass you’ll be surprised how much artificial turf has improved over the years.
6. Choose Plants Wisely
   As you outline your Bay Area landscape design be sure to take into account the mature height and spread of all the plants you want to include. You certainly don’t want to plant a tree that could ruin your patio or grow to unmanageable heights or width. Dwarf, slow growing plants make for good small yard inclusions. An array of potted plants can also make for a wonderful use of a small space, especially if you opt to install patio pavers.
7. Reduce Clutter
   Limit furniture and other items to the minimum needed to enjoy the space, the more freestanding items you add the more cramped your small back yard will feel.
8. Multipurpose Gardening
   While you may not be able to support a large vegetable garden that you might dream of you can find a surprising array of plants that double as ornamental AND edibles. Utilize attractive, edible plants to have both something nice to look at and something to enjoy with your dinner.
   
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