A small garden looks bigger when you stop trying to fit everything in. Pick one place to sit, close to the house. Plant in layers along the fences, tall at the back and low at the front, and send some of the plants up a trellis instead of out across the ground. Give the eye one thing to land on at the far end, and trade a strip of lawn for a path that walks you to it. Do that, and a plain square of grass with a fence around it starts to read as a garden with somewhere to go.

None of these small garden landscaping ideas needs a big budget or a crew. Most take a weekend, and a few you can start this month, while the outdoor space is bare and easy to see.

What to do in November, and what waits for spring

It is November, so this is planning season. That is good news, because the jobs that make the biggest difference to a small yard are the ones that do not need anything to be blooming.

Now, while the ground is still soft enough to dig:

  • Measure the yard and draw it on graph paper, one square to a foot. Mark where the sun falls, where you walk, and the view from the back door.
  • Lay a path and set the edging. Both are easier with the beds empty and the perennials cut back.
  • Plant trees and shrubs if your ground does not freeze in winter. In the South, fall is the best time to plant woody shrubs and trees: the soil does not freeze, so the roots keep growing while the top rests.
  • Order seeds and plan what goes in the raised beds.

Where winter comes early: trees and shrubs need at least six weeks to settle in before the ground freezes, and broadleaved evergreens like holly are better left until spring. If your ground is already freezing at night, mark the spots now and plant them in spring.

In spring: plant the perennials, the vine and the containers, fill the raised beds, and add the plants that go between the stepping stones.

12 small backyard landscaping ideas that make it feel bigger

These ideas work together. You do not need all twelve, but the first five do most of the work in a small backyard.

1. Give the eye one place to land

A small garden with five features looks crowded. A small garden with one focal point at the far end looks deliberate. That focal point can be a bench, a birdbath, a large pot, or a tree, but pick one and put it where you see it from the back door or the kitchen window.

Set it slightly off-center, in a back corner, and the eye travels the long way across the yard to reach it. That diagonal line is the longest one in any rectangle, and it makes a short yard feel deeper.

A pair of ‘Sky Pencil’ Japanese hollies on either side of a bench makes a strong focal point in very little room. They grow 4 to 10 feet tall but only 1 to 3 feet wide, stay evergreen, and hold their narrow shape without pruning. If you have a corner about 10 feet across, a ‘Crimson Queen’ Japanese maple is the softer choice: it grows 8 to 10 feet tall and 10 to 12 feet wide, with finely cut leaves that hold their color all season.

2. Put the seating area by the house

Put the patio where you will actually use it, which is usually a few steps from the door. An area about 8 by 10 feet holds a small table and two chairs with room to pull them out. Pea gravel or pavers both work; gravel is the cheaper of the two and easy to lay yourself.

Keeping the seating close to the house leaves the rest of the yard for planting, and it means you look out over the garden every time you sit down. For furniture that fits, small patio ideas when you barely have room and small backyard patio ideas on a budget go further.

3. Plant in layers along the fences

If you only change one thing, change this. Instead of a thin row of shrubs against the fence, make the beds deeper and plant in three heights:

  • Back: something tall and upright, like ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass (3 to 5 feet tall, 1.5 to 2.5 feet wide).
  • Middle: a shrub with a long season, like ‘Little Lime’ panicle hydrangea (3 to 5 feet tall and wide), which blooms from July into September in lime green that turns pink.
  • Front: a low, soft edge, like ‘Walker’s Low’ catmint (2 to 2.5 feet tall), which carries lavender blue flowers from spring into September.

Layers give depth, and depth is what a small yard is short on. A bed 3 feet deep holds the grass and the catmint. Give a shrub like ‘Little Lime’ a deeper bed at the back of the yard, where it has room to spread.

Check your zone before you buy. Every plant in this article has its USDA zone range in the table further down.

4. Grow up the fence on a trellis

The fence is the biggest planting space in a small backyard, and it costs nothing. A vine on a trellis is the simplest vertical garden there is: green and flowers, and no floor space used.

Two good choices:

  • Clematis ‘Jackmanii’ grows 7 to 10 feet as a vine, with blue-purple flowers in July, and is hardy in zones 4 to 8. It likes its flowers in sun and its roots cool, so plant the catmint from idea 3 at its feet to shade the base.
  • Star jasmine (also called Confederate jasmine) is evergreen, with sweetly fragrant creamy white flowers in late spring. It is hardy only in zones 8 to 10. It can reach 20 feet, so plan to pinch and prune it. In colder zones, grow it in a pot as an annual or bring it inside for winter.

Some links below are Amazon and Gardenreet affiliate links. If you buy through them, Etheric Echoes earns a small commission at no extra cost to you.

For the trellis itself, a 2 pack of black metal garden trellis panels (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure. ($) gives you two panels about 20 inches wide and just under 6 feet tall, in black powder-coated iron with an 8.46 inch ground spike. Set them side by side against the fence, or one on each side of the focal bench. One catch: a ‘Jackmanii’ grows taller than the panel, so tie the extra growth along the fence or let it spill over the top.

5. Pick plants that grow up, not out

The plant tag tells you two numbers. In a small garden the width matters more than the height. A shrub that ends up 7 feet wide will swallow a 3 foot bed and the path next to it.

Look for words like columnar, upright, dwarf and compact, then read the spread. ‘Sky Pencil’ holly (1 to 3 feet wide) and ‘Karl Foerster’ grass (1.5 to 2.5 feet wide) are both narrow. ‘Palibin’ Meyer lilac is a compact, slow-growing lilac, short at 4 to 5 feet, but it spreads 5 to 7 feet, so it needs a corner, not a strip.

Keep one evergreen in the picture so the garden still has a shape in January. The hollies do that job, and ‘Karl Foerster’ grass keeps its tan seed heads standing into winter.

6. Trade a strip of lawn for a path

A path does two things in a small backyard. It gives you a reason to walk to the far end, and it breaks the yard into pieces, so you cannot take it all in from one spot. Run it on a gentle curve or on the diagonal toward your focal point, not straight down the middle.

A curved stepping-stone path with creeping thyme between the stones, catmint along one edge, feather reed grass by the fence and a brass path light
Creeping thyme between stepping stones, catmint on one side and feather reed grass on the other.

Stepping stones are the easiest version. Walk the route first and set each stone where your feet land. Plant creeping thyme between them in spring: it grows about 3 inches tall, spreads to a foot, is hardy in zones 4 to 8, and is one of the classic fillers between stepping stones. It wants full sun and gritty, well-drained soil.

For a path you can lay without digging, TierraVerde rubber stepping stones (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure. ($) come four to a pack, each 18 by 22 inches, in a grey and black rock look. They sit right on grass, dirt, gravel or mulch. They are recycled rubber, not stone, so on soft or uneven ground set them on a compacted base to keep them level.

If you want to lose the lawn altogether, see the no-grass question at the end.

7. Edge every bed with one clean line

Edging is the cheapest way to make a small garden look cared for. A crisp line between bed and lawn or gravel keeps mulch in place, keeps grass out, and makes even a half-planted bed look finished. November is a good month for it, with the beds cut back and the lines easy to see.

Two options, depending on how long you want it to last:

EdgingWhat it isBest forDownsideCost
Gardzen landscape edging (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure.40 feet of black plastic, 3 inches tall, with 40 spikes; no diggingCurved beds and a first tryPlastic, so it looks plainer than steel$
Galvanized steel edging (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure.33 feet in ten 40 inch panels, black powder-coated, 2 inches showing above groundStraight runs and a sharper lineHas to be hammered in, in fixed 40 inch panels$$

8. Put raised beds on the edge, not in the middle

Raised beds in the middle of a small yard chop it up. Along a fence, they turn dead space into the place you grow tomatoes, herbs and cut flowers.

Size them for reach. A bed you can only reach from one side should be about 1.5 to 2 feet wide; a bed you can walk around can be 3 to 4 feet wide. That rule decides which bed fits where:

If you would rather build your own, the best wood for a raised garden bed covers what lasts.

9. Group the containers in one corner

Pots scattered around a small yard look like clutter. The same pots grouped in one corner, at two or three heights, look like a planting. One or two tall containers do more than a ring of small ones, and they are easier to water.

Two pairs of tall planters to compare:

  • Garvee tall planters, set of 2 (see them on AmazonAs an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure., $$): black plastic with a water level monitor, a separate water inlet and built-in drainage, a good fit if you forget to water. Check the height on the listing before you order.
  • SnugNiture 22 inch round tall planters, set of 2 (see them on AmazonAs an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure., $$): matte black polypropylene, 22.2 inches tall and 12.8 inches across the top, with a removable inner shelf that drains extra water to the bottom of the pot. The downside: at 12.8 inches across the top they are narrow, so each suits one upright plant better than a mixed planting.

For what to plant in them, container garden ideas for a small patio has combinations that stay full.

10. Keep the colors to two or three

A small garden with every color in it looks busy. Pick two or three flower colors, repeat them, and let green do the rest. Cool colors like blue and purple seem to sit further away than red and orange, which helps a short yard feel longer.

The plants in this article already make a set: lavender blue catmint, purple clematis, lime-to-pink hydrangea and the tan grass seed heads in fall. Add white with star jasmine where it is hardy.

11. Split the yard into two rooms

It sounds backward, but a small yard divided into two spaces feels bigger than one open square. When you cannot see everything from the door, the garden has somewhere to go.

You do not need a wall. A change underfoot does it: gravel at the seating area, then lawn or stepping stones beyond. So does a trellis panel or a pair of tall planters set across part of the view, so the far corner is half hidden.

12. Light it low and warm

Lighting is what makes you use a small garden after dinner. Light the path at foot level and point one light up into the focal tree, and the whole yard gains depth after dark. Skip a single bright floodlight; it flattens everything.

Solar lights need no wiring, but in winter they get less sun to charge. Low-voltage lights run from a transformer that plugs into an outdoor outlet, so check you have one within reach of the beds before you buy.

For more ways to light a tiny yard, see small patio lighting ideas for a tiny backyard.

A small backyard layout for a 20 by 30 foot yard

Here is how the twelve ideas fit together in a common small backyard, 20 feet wide along the house and 30 feet deep to the back fence. Change the numbers to fit yours; the order stays the same.

A simple plan of a 20 by 30 foot backyard
One way to lay out a 20 by 30 foot small backyard: seating by the house, beds on three sides, a path to a focal point.
  • By the house: an 8 by 10 foot seating area in pea gravel or pavers, with the tall planters grouped at one corner.
  • Left fence: a 2 foot strip with two 4 by 2 foot raised beds end to end, and ‘Karl Foerster’ grass beyond them.
  • Right fence: a 3 foot bed with two trellis panels, clematis on the trellis and catmint at its feet.
  • Back fence: a 5 foot bed with ‘Little Lime’ hydrangea behind ‘Walker’s Low’ catmint.
  • Focal point: a bench in the back bed, a little right of center, between two ‘Sky Pencil’ hollies.
  • The middle: about 15 by 17 feet of lawn or pea gravel.
  • The path: stepping stones on a curve from the seating area to the bench, with creeping thyme between them.
  • Lights: four path lights along the stepping stones and two spotlights aimed up at the hollies.

Plants for a small garden, with sizes and zones

Every size here is the mature size, so plant for the plant it will be in three years, not the one in the pot. Check your zone first: if your USDA zone is not in the range, choose a different plant for that spot.

PlantJob in a small gardenMature sizeUSDA zonesSun
‘Sky Pencil’ Japanese hollyNarrow evergreen focal point4 to 10 ft tall, 1 to 3 ft wide6 to 8Full sun to part shade
‘Crimson Queen’ Japanese mapleWeeping focal tree for a corner8 to 10 ft tall, 10 to 12 ft wide5 to 8Full sun to part shade
‘Palibin’ Meyer lilacShort, fragrant shrub for a corner4 to 5 ft tall, 5 to 7 ft wide3 to 7Full sun
‘Little Lime’ panicle hydrangeaBack-of-bed shrub, July to September flowers3 to 5 ft tall and wide3 to 8Full sun to part shade
‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grassUpright height in a narrow bed3 to 5 ft tall, 1.5 to 2.5 ft wide5 to 9Full sun
‘Walker’s Low’ catmintSoft front edge, long bloom2 to 2.5 ft tall, 2.5 to 3 ft wide4 to 8Full sun to part shade
Creeping thymeBetween stepping stonesAbout 3 in tall, up to 1 ft wide4 to 8Full sun
Clematis ‘Jackmanii’Flowering vine on a trellis7 to 10 ft vine4 to 8Full sun to part shade
Star jasmineEvergreen, fragrant vineUp to 20 ft vine8 to 10Full sun to part shade
Bar chart of mature heights for small garden plants, from creeping thyme at about 3 inches to star jasmine at up to 20 feet, with USDA zones
How tall each plant gets. Check your USDA zone before you buy.

Sizes, zones and light are from the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder. Two notes from it worth knowing: ‘Sky Pencil’ may struggle where summers are hot and humid, and ‘Crimson Queen’ likes some afternoon shade in hot-summer areas.

Small garden landscaping questions

How do I landscape a small backyard on a budget?

Spend on the bones first: the edging, the path and the seating surface. Plants can come later and smaller. Buy small perennials and let them fill in, divide clumps you already have, and move plants you like to where they belong before you buy new ones. Do one area at a time, starting with the seating, so the yard looks finished in stages instead of half done everywhere. Pea gravel, plastic edging and solar lights keep the first round cheap. For ideas that also cut weekend chores, see low maintenance landscaping ideas on a budget.

How do I make a small garden look bigger?

Leave the middle open and plant the edges. Run the path on a curve or the diagonal, hide part of the yard behind a screen or a tall pot so it cannot all be seen at once, and put one focal point at the far end. Plant in layers, tall at the back. Keep to two or three flower colors, with blue and purple to make the far end feel further away. Use slim furniture with open legs so you can see the ground under it.

Can a small backyard work with no grass?

Yes, and in a very small yard it often looks better. Swap the lawn for pea gravel with a few stepping stones through it, plant creeping thyme in the gaps where the sun is full, and widen the beds. You lose the mowing and gain planting space. Keep at least one soft, green area so it does not read as a parking pad.

What tree fits a small backyard?

A narrow one. ‘Sky Pencil’ holly fits a strip 3 feet wide. If you have a corner about 10 feet across, a ‘Crimson Queen’ Japanese maple gives you a softer, weeping shape. Read the mature width on the tag before you buy, and plant it at least half that width away from the fence. In cold regions, plant evergreens in spring rather than late fall.

What to buy

Buy in the order you build: edges and path first, then the beds, then the finishing pieces. Cost: $ is the least, $$$ the most.