If Ikea has taught us anything, it’s that a small space can be both inviting, functional and good looking. There’s no reason why your little slice of outdoor Gold Coast paradise can’t be too!
Create Visual Interest & Sense of Space With Zoning
It may seem counterintuitive to break up an already small garden into smaller sections. But, it’s not like in a house where you’re physically building walls between areas, instead, it adds layers and levels that function to make a small garden feel like it’s got variety and space.
Breaking up space adds contrast and texture, and when it’s not so clear where the garden starts or finishes, you can add the illusion of a larger, more visually interesting outdoor area.
A great trick is to create pathways to draw the eye. If possible, create a path that has a curve or leads into a section of your garden that isn’t visible from where the path begins – if a path disappears around a corner and you can’t quite see where it ends, this can give the illusion of more space.
You can create paths with paving stones or gravel cutting through grass – or even vice versa. Either way, the pavers you choose should be of a small to medium size; remember it’s all about proportion. Balance the size of the materials you use with the size of the garden to make it feel like a resolved space.
Using Colour In Your Garden
It’s so important to choose the right plants, trees and shrubs for your climate. Here on the Gold Coast, we’re blessed with fantastic sunshine for most of the year, but we can also have incredibly high intense rainfall. Not all plants can handle this weather, so sticking to native species is always a good idea, especially if you’re not an expert gardener or landscaper.
The good news is – Queensland has some of the most beautiful native plants! Adding lush, tropical palms and flowers that blossom in the most amazing shapes and colours can transport you to the rainforest, even from the smallest backyard.
A top tip for using colour in your garden is to plant flowers that have warmer colours near the front. Reds, oranges, yellows etc. catch the eye more easily than cooler colours. You can play with perspective in your garden by planting warm coloured flowers near the front, and cooler colours toward the back to add a depth to your garden that might not actually be there.
If flowers and plants aren’t your things, you could also use a colourful organic mulch.
The beautiful candle-shaped Banksia, with it’s yellow to red flowers ticks all the boxes – native to Queensland and just the right colour combination to achieve this optical illusion of extra space.
Do you have privacy issues in your garden? Or perhaps it’s not possible to add grass but you want that lush tropical feeling in your Gold Coast garden? Both of these concerns can be addressed with the iconic Hibiscus. The pleasing pops of colour when they flower are just a bonus to how easy they are to grow, and how well they can be used as a hedge to create privacy.
‘High Rise’ Gardens – Perfect For The Gold Coast!
Another great option to introduce some greenery into a small back garden is vertical gardens. Not only can they increase the feeling of size by drawing the eye up and adding another layer of texture, but they’re super low maintenance – no mowing necessary!
You can also use trees to add a sense of height to your garden. If you don’t have the space to plant a tree in the garden, dwarf varieties can do very well in large pots, and you have the added benefit of being able to style your garden by moving one or two varieties around to see how they compliment each other in your outdoor area.
Pave The Way
We love this trick – did you know laying your paving stones or decking in diagonal as opposed to straight lines can make the area feel bigger? It elongates the space and also creates visual interest to your outdoor area. If you think you might like to try it in your garden, have a look at our paving solutions to see which style you like, then give us a call on 07 5598 1377 or send us a message so we can help you out.
