Landscape Design Tips for Small Yards
Are you looking to create your own landscape design for a small space? In this video, I’m going to share 12 quick DIY design tips for making the best use of your small yard.
Some of these quick small space design tips are aesthetic to make the space feel larger.
Some of them will give you ideas to make better use of the space.
Some tips are a little more on the boring/practical side 😂, but are very important and often forgotten during the design process.
I hope this video helps!
Hello! 🌱 My name is Eve Hanlin, I’m a horticulturist and landscape designer from the Pacific Northwest corner of the United States. I’ve offered in-person landscape design services for years and now I am taking landscape design online by offering digital courses and resources for DIY-ers. Please comment below if you have any questions that I can help you with.
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27 Comments
i’ve been working on gaining privacy for 3 years, i still have some holes where plants didn’t make it through the winter or were not dense enough….it’s finally pushed me over the edge. I’m in a fish nowl, the developers put in wrought iron fence, zero privacy…and my backyard is right next to the path, and the entire backside the path is coming straight for my backyard. This is a commons area and people are using it as a dog park, from 11am-6:00pm there were 12 different groups….they stand close to my fence. I have a puppy and have had to ask them to ignore her, I can’t live with my dog running to the fence, trampling my landscape, letting strangers wind her up, reversing what i’m trying to train, a calm dog ho doesn’t expect people to pay attention to her. So I’ve order multiple ckenatis, elaegnus-olive martini shrubs to finish plugging the holes. I have planted many hollyhocks and am growing multiple types of sunflowers to give privacy until the shrubs get larger. I’m sharing because you made the comment about being able to go outside…once these neighbors saw i had a puppy they started coming to my fence and now apparently we’re friends, because i have a puppy ?….so there is an obligatory wave hello…which now i’m avoiding by not going out or going out and sitting behind the junipers…which have filled in nicely! ugh, i’m going to lose my mind over this intrusion, probably worse because i’m an introvert.
oh and my dog pees and poos on the dirt only…. 😂
You should put more picture and keep it long so we can see. I prefer to see pictures more than the talker.
Thought you might want to think about a video on child safe yards. Had a friend lose one child and almost 2 because they ate juniper berries. Lots of plants can harm children that we do not think about. Pets too.
Just subscribed! Call 811! Unfortunately, what you are teaching was common landscaping sense is not any more. Couple of shrubs I'd suggest are yews and arborvitsea. 2nd is use drought tolerant low/no mow grasses. Great video!
Seriously loving your videos and the format.
You're landscaping advice is spot on….and I know you didn't ask for critiques but your channel will grow much faster if you use b-role while you are speaking…find examples of everything you're suggesting and show pics of the good and the-not-so good….show some of your own small yard designs to demonstrate…every topic you mention should have a visual accompaniment…there's lots of copyright-free photos you can use to demonstrate your topics….I look forward to watching your channel grow…
You are the first person I have come upon on youtube who said "no lawn." For 35 years now, I have a huge lawn, as does all my neighbors. We are downsizing and moving —-but a lawn is a waste of water, pollution from mowers—-both gas and noise—bug and bug treatment options —where do I even stop? I love rocks.
This was a really good video. Nice you are from the north west! I agree with the idea of examples and photos. Good luck with your channel.
Hi from the UK. Great video. Very knowledgeable lady. Excellent! 👍👌
I want to take a section of my yard and turn it into a secret garden or sanctuary
I have a small space and I have a lot of fruit trees. Size can be managed with pruning.
Loved all your tips . Here in the uk back gardens of new built homes are often tiny and boxed in by oppressive fencing. Whilst waiting for plants to mature I recommend painting fences very dark green. This really helps boundaries recede, and when plants grow the fences ‘disappear’ because they don’t stand out. As a bonus, they make lighter foliage and flowers stand out. Happy gardening!
Too much tell, need more show.
Make kids play area video please.
Superlative design suggestions and inspiring presentation! Thank you!
Please make a video for landscaping with kids
Yep, light pollution is a thing. A friend had neighbors who installed the brightest of all lights and now his vegetable garden wont produce fruit. I think that is one reason why I get excited when the grid goes down for what ever reason. I might still try to blend up something with my small appliance, but the still quiet, natural light of the night or day is priceless and so relaxing. But that being said, can't function too well stumbling around in the dark either.
Great video and variety of advice!!! Thank you for sharing your landscape design wisdom 🙂
Do one for us DIYers with large yards!
Great stuff! Looking forward to watching your channel grow 🙂
We are about to move into a DelWeb 55+ community and they have tiny back yards and don't allow wood fences. So we have about 20 feet of grass between our patio and a four foot tall, open design iron fence and the neighbor's yard. We want to plant something that is fast growing and will help shield us from the neighbors view sitting on their own patio.
I'm stoked to have a small enclosed backyard soon, that I can afford to fully landscape and design to make a great outdoor space for the family.
Saving your tips to come back to 🙂
Very helpful video. I wonder if in the future you could talk more about how to design a dog/pet safe yard. I mean fencing is the obvious thing but there are many plants that are toxic to cats and dogs if they ingest them. Also some kinds of gravel can damage your dogs paw pads etc. Looking forward to more content. <3
Just found your channel and love it!
Wow. Really really good talk. All of it spot on. For me; line of site, pov, privacy, verticle and less large water feature then more smaller ones. Hiding the shed, next to the A/C condenser, next to the compost, next to seedlings and plants in need I call the triache area and plant to hide that area. Even Disneyland has dumpsters lol Thank you.
I’d love your thoughts on landscaping ideas that are dog friendly.