It takes a little imagination (Picture:Getty)

So living in a city can be fun when there’s bars and things to do right on your doorstep.

But you often have to sacrifice living space and you’re pretty lucky to have a square of outdoor space big enough for a few chairs.

But just because that tiny strip of concrete paving where the bins are kept looks unappealing when you move in, it doesn’t have to stay that way.

You can turn these areas into cute little outdoor havens with a few easy steps.


Firstly, tidy as much as you can – a good outdoor brush and a few bin bags can improve it quickly. If you can get your hands on a power washer, you can give it a really deep clean.



It might take a little bit of planning to maximise the space – but if you aren’t planting anything in the ground, you can move it around if it doesn’t quite work out.

Without much ground space, you might want to add things that grow tall rather than wide.

Freddie Blackett, co-founder of Patch – an online delivery service for plants – explains: ‘If it’s an option, start by planting something that will climb up a wall. Ivy is a perfect, easy option (there’s a reason it’s one of the most popular plants in UK gardens).

Try some ivy for background foilage (Picture: Getty)

‘It grows quickly and won’t take long to give you a vivid green backdrop for the rest of your plants. When the weather warms up again, consider planting a flowering climber, like jasmine. The exotic fragrance you’ll get when it flowers will make outdoor dinners, or just your morning coffee, a delight.’

Once you have that as a backdrop, add a big statement plant.

Freddie recommends a canary island date palm or a gorgeous red Japanese maple.

He explains: ‘It will give your planting a focal point and the more height variation you have the more attractive your space will be.

‘If you want to section off different areas, for example to designate one area for dining, you could use several tall plants to act as a green ‘wall’. Bay trees would be lovely for this and have the advantage of a subtle warm fragrance. Or consider a smart row of olive trees or box.’

With a small space, you don’t have much room to grow things for different seasons so choose interesting foliage that works all year round.

Freddie adds: ‘A leucothoe has curly red and green leaves that look amazing. A festuca glauca is a grass that has foliage with a subtle blue tint. The variegated leaves and feathery flowers of a carex evergold will give a softness to your arrangement and go with anything.

‘You can then bring in more pots for flowering plants and garden herbs when spring comes. The more colour and interest you have, the less likely you are to even notice those gray paving slabs.’

Of course, when you don’t have anywhere you can actually plant anything, pots are your best friend.

Plant pots are your best friend (Picture: Getty)

You can add lots of colour with pots and they don’t have to be hugely expensive.

Make sure you fill them with a drainage layer or holes at the bottom and then plenty of compost.



You can also add little pots to hang on your fence, like these, or create a hanging basket or window boxes to add more greenery in a small area.

You can even create a vertical herb garden out of an old shoe organiser.

With a little imagination, your drab paved yard can be transformed.

‘Don’t think of a paved space as boring and restrictive but as a blank canvas. You can arrange it however you like and if you change your mind about it next spring, just move it all around,’ Freddie says.

MORE: Why do your houseplants keep dying?

MORE: How to keep your plants alive while you are on holiday

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