Not everyone has the luxury of acres of backyard space.  As the population becomes more urbanized and land prices soar, paring back the sizes of our houses and yards has not only become a trend, it’s become a necessity for many.  But just because you don’t have a lot of space to work with doesn’t mean that you’re doomed to an uninspired and depressing backyard. There are several tricks that can be used to make even the smallest space appear open, airy and inviting.  This article will go over four backyard landscaping ideas for small spaces.

Seek Simplicity

When you don’t have a lot of space to work with you’ll need to pare back your ambitions.  Trying to accomplish too many things in a small area just leads to confusion and clutter. Cut back your decorating idea and focus on a few simple pieces.  Don’t overwhelm the area with too many decorative plants and keep your lawn neatly manicured. Scaling back will actually create an appearance of expanse.

Reach For The Sky

If you don’t have a lot of room on the ground to work with, one way you can create the illusion of a larger yard is to use more vertical space.  By using plants or fencing materials of various heights you’ll draw the eye upwards and make the area appear more expansive than it actually is. Utilizing a layered effect with your planters and hardscape structures will also add texture that increases the overall effect.

Add A Pathway

By laying some paving stones or finding another way of creating a visual pathway through your backyard you’ll create a focal point that draws in the eye.  This is important in creating the illusion of space because the casual gaze isn’t allowed to scan the entire area too quickly.

Add Some Vivid Colours

Because you don’t have a lot of space to work with, you won’t be able to go overboard with focal points.  A natural enhancement of the few focal points you do have is the addition of some vivid colouring. This can easily be done with some flowering plants that match the house and any other structures found in the yard.