5 Easy Ways to Spruce Up a Small Garden

Hedges and Annuals

This tiny backyard provides lots of room for brilliant blooms amid evergreen foliage.

The owners of this home started by adding a row of English boxwoods to anchor the backyard and define the small lawn. This hedge also provides a transition to the slope and a backdrop for bright annuals. To replicate the pattern of evergreen foundation shrubs, they dotted the slope between the steps with prostrate junipers. The couple also put in tea olives at the top of the slope for a touch of fragrance and to echo the boxwoods.

Keys to Small-Space Success:
• Pockets of color surrounded by evergreen shrubs add visual accents and cut down on maintenance.
• Keeping vines and shrubs pruned back maximizes space for annuals.
• Continually adding organic matter to the soil keeps the plants on the terraces healthy.