When I discuss décor it often refers to interiors and using our walls and indoor living areas to create a personalized home. But one of the elements of maximizing a dwelling space is the outdoors; while city living often doesn’t afford large yards, many homes and condos offer some exterior square footage, from patios to window boxes, that give opportunity to extend our design a little bit further.
Small-space living has become a standard term for urbanites, and that definitely carries forward to our outdoors. Creativity becomes key when looking to design outside, as we look to find ways to expand on our living areas. The ideal patio design incorporates space to relax and entertain combined with greenery to remind us that we truly are outside. A welcome break from the concrete urban landscape, working plant life into the outdoor décor creates a sense of life and tranquility in the design.
Gardening is one of those hobbies that, previously, I found both daunting and out of my skill set. However, as a designer I’ve learned the importance of addressing every inch of the home and have come to love designing the details of the outdoors. From the colour and pattern details of the pots and vessels chosen, to the huge variety in texture, scale and colour of the plant life available in the city, designing an urban garden encompasses all the elements of traditional interior design; it is truly about creating a visual extension of your indoor entertaining space.
I chatted with the owners of Vancouver’s go-to boutique garden shop, Figaro’s, about the process and planning of a small space urban garden.
Hartley Rosen, who took ownership with his wife in 2013, offered up five key tips for creating a successful outdoor plant space in the city:
Look up
Every square inch counts so make use of both horizontal space as well as vertical space. Think about using climbers, living walls, and anything else with upward growth to fill in the vertical space and increase the [garden] surface area.
Size matters
Choose smaller or dwarfing varieties. Many growers are now breeding small, more compact cultivars that are great in small space situations. Look for anything that says “compact”, “for containers” or “patio” on the label.
Contain yourself
Container gardens have been a huge trend, as people with patios and balconies do not have in-ground space to plant. Large pots or vessels can be used to house just about anything you would plant in-ground, but you need to be mindful of the size of the plant as well as stay on top of watering (as containers will need a more frequent water schedule).
Tropical vision
Use large-leaved, tropical-looking plants as they help make the space feel larger and enticing; they offer a unique visual interest which can detract they eye from the actual size of the garden space.
Focus
Create small vignettes or focal points of interest which guide the eye and hold the attention, making the space seem tidy and the smallness of the space seem less significant. As with interiors, clutter takes away from the design and details - follow that same principle with the garden.
From a design perspective, the first step to creating a garden is to choose the pots that will be used within the space, as this sets the style canvas for the patio area and plants. There have been many lines that have chosen to offer natural-material pots, which not only create texture, but also enhance the nature theme; the hottest materials right now are bamboo, clays, concretes, terra cotta and of course traditional cedar boxes.
Once the look, feel and size of the vessels has been determined, it’s time to consider which plant life works the best with the chosen containers; the Figaro’s team had a few suggestions of which varietals are best suited to small space gardens. Lavenders, herbs, brazelberries, Japanese maple trees and Coreopsis are the tried and true winners for an urban setting that can withstand the city elements and container setting, and also add interest in terms of palette and texture to achieve a layered, well-styled overall appeal.
