Your yard and patio are part of your living space, just like the kitchen or living room. Now, if your outdoor space is small— like, really small—there’s no need to get jealous of the neighbors! There are plenty of ways to use your space so you can enjoy it to its fullest potential. 

Try These Creative Ideas to Save Room in Your Small Outdoor Living Space 

You don’t have to choose between a garden, a dining area, and an area to entertain—you can do it all! Just be strategic in your layout and examine all the available space, however small it may be, and use it to your advantage. 

Here are some small space outdoor living essentials that will completely transform the style and functionality of your yard and patio. 

Vertical Gardens

If you don’t have much surface area for a sprawling garden, grow your plants vertically! Here are a few different ways:

Tower Gardens: Stack up a bunch of pots filled with soil in graduated sizes, with the largest at the bottom and the smallest on top; this results in a tiered garden, kind of like a fountain! Tower gardens work great for culinary herbs and leafy greens like spinach and lettuce or succulents like Echeveria and Sempervivum. 

Attach Planters to Your Fence: There is so much available surface area on your fence that you can fill with plants! Just pick a side of your fence that gets some good sunlight—preferably something South- or West-facing. Attach some wooden planter boxes with screws, or drill a hole into the backs of some metal plant pots and screw those to the boards. To really make a splash, paint your planters a mix of fun colors to liven up the scenery!

Create a Wall Garden: These are becoming increasingly popular for folks with small yards and patios or for people who admire the artistic beauty of plants and want to fill their walls with gorgeous greenery! You can purchase kits to install wall gardens at home or follow one of many DIY tutorials online. 

Hanging Baskets

Free up space by suspending your plants overhead!! Hanging baskets are a fantastic way to fill your scenery with gorgeous color. While you’re probably used to seeing annual flowers like petunias and fuchsias in hanging baskets, there are plenty of other options for these versatile planters! We’ve seen people grow strawberries and vining cherry tomatoes in hanging baskets with great success. If you’re into succulents, try a trailing variety like Burro’s Tail, String of Pearls, or String of Hearts! 

Window Boxes

Is there anything more picturesque than window boxes full of pretty flowers and plants? Transform your home into a storybook illustration with cute planters to attach to the window in an accent color that complements your home’s color palette. Smaller annuals like pansies and violas look lovely in window boxes, but you can also experiment with edible herbs like basil, thyme, and cilantro. Place one outside your kitchen window so you can reach over and grab a handful of herbs while you’re cooking dinner!

Match Your Seating to the Space

You don’t need a giant sectional outdoor sofa to complete your outdoor lounge area. Sometimes some small, pretty chairs with a vintage aesthetic will look fabulous in a cozy nook in the garden. However, if you are set on a sectional, try to find one that’s the same shape as the area where you’re placing it. For example, if you have a square corner of the yard, get a square sectional and place it right up against the fence to make the best use of your free space. 

Get a Firepit with a Tabletop 

Firepits are the bomb dot com. They bring people together effortlessly—all you need is good company, some snacks, and wood to burn, and you’ve got a perfect night planned. A firepit with a cover that doubles as a tabletop will be so useful if you’re short on space—you can use it for card games and charcuterie boards during the day and then take the cover off for bonfires at night!

For more plants, backyard accessories, and other small space living ideas on Long Island, browse Dees’ Nursery to explore what’s new for spring and summer 2022!