Landscaping for Small Yards

One of the many things New Orleans is famous for is the lush beauty of its flora. After all, one of its neighborhoods is called the Garden District. Sometimes this flora can be seen in postage-stamp-sized yards around small but beautiful shotgun-style homes. Better yet, the climate of New Orleans makes it ideal for growing exotic plants that wouldn’t thrive in most other places in the United States.

A small, walled-in space

Even a small, walled-in space can be beautiful and grow a wealth of plants if it gets a few hours of sunlight. The main area can be a small lawn surrounded by bushes and shrubs such as roses, boxwood, and Santolina and flowers such as hostas and daylilies.

Another plan is to have most of the area paved with attractive random flagstones, with a smaller grassy area with a bench placed near a small tree such as an enkianthus. Decorative elements such as an urn or fountain can also be added. The back of the area near the wall can display shrubs that have a natural pyramidal shape such as camellias.

Small yard with hardscaping

Landscaping experts like those at Couvillion’s Landscaping know that a small space can also be attractive even if most of it is hardscaping with discrete areas of plants. It can have a large area of brick pavement separated or complemented by concrete slabs or concentric Belgian blocks interrupted by plantings, whether in the ground itself or in containers, that allow them to be moved around. There can even be a raised area made of cedar wood for a small outside dining area if there’s room.

A yard that’s mostly in the shade can still have plenty of plant life, including:

• Hellebores

• Hostas

• Summer sweet

• Brunnera

• Yarrow

Small frontage

That little space between the walkway and the facade of the house can do a great deal to enhance or degrade a house’s curb appeal, and a lot of homeowners worry about how to present it. Fortunately, there are a lot of landscaping ideas that can make this part of your property very attractive.

You can plant a variety of shrubs such as abelia, cape plumbago, and boxwood and cover the soil with gravel, which is not only attractive but serves as a type of mulch to keep water in and weeds down. You can add a small bubbler and fill the area with container plants. If you want a Japanese flavor, you can fill the space with gravel raked into waves, and add artistically arranged boulders and a stone lantern. This arrangement doesn’t even require plants, but a corner with a fern or bamboo might be just the thing.

To learn more about how to transform your small yard into a breathtaking showcase, go to TheHomeMag on Facebook and Instagram.