Mark Cullen: Gardening in Small Spaces
By Lucas on May 21, 2013
By Mark Cullen
Less than one quarter of new residences currently being built in the GTA are ‘single family detached’. Almost two thirds of new homes are condos.
The concept of ‘the average lot size’ could be several hundred square feet located way off the ground, rather than several thousand of terra firma. As gardeners we are left with less space and fewer options to attract song birds, butterflies and hummingbirds. This does not mean that you have to give up on the joys of gardening.
Approaching the garden design of a balcony or the small footprint of a townhouse back yard requires the same approach as any other garden project. Think about how you want to use the space, first and foremost.
If your new ‘property’ is where you wish to sit and entertain perhaps you will want to make the space feel like an extension of your indoor living space. Consider this:
Do you wish for privacy? Use the wall space available to you. A fence supports climbing vines just as well as a brick wall.
Do you need to reserve space for food prep (a BBQ) and the like? Carve this space out before you fill the area with pots and plants.
Would you like to harvest food from your small yard or balcony? Herbs, compact vegetables and wall-growing fruit can provide a surprising quantity of fresh food.
Are you exposed to street noise from your outdoor space? If so, consider a water feature that moves water, distracting your attention from the sound of traffic.
Do you have an exceptional view? If so, enhance it and draw attention to it through your ‘garden’ design
As you contemplate the answers to all of these questions I have 7 suggestions for you to consider:
Plant small. Hanging baskets or pots, ‘window boxes’ and other wall mounted planters can help you to maximize the produce that you harvest from small spaces. For tasty greens plant leaf lettuce from seed, spinach, basil, Oriental greens and pea shoots. Many of these can be replanted or sown 2 or 3 times through the gardening season.
Look for ‘Compact’ or ‘dwarf’ plants. Many ornamental plants that we are familiar with are available in forms that do not mature into monsters. If you like lilacs look for ‘Korean Spice Lilac’, in the world of evergreens consider Mugho pine (pruned annually), dwarf Alberta Spruce, dwarf Nest spruce and a myriad of slow growing plants too numerous to name here.
Mix and match. One of the benefits of gardening in this day and age is that there are no rules about where you grow stuff. This new generation of gardeners is teaching all of us to plant ornamentals with edibles. Grow a cherry tomato ‘Sweet One Million’ with your petunias and let them intertwine. Calendula mixed with Gazania, snapdragons and chives, roses and onions.
Use ‘ornamental edibles’. I made this term up in an effort to describe veggies that look great in the garden. Swiss chard ‘Northern Lights’, sweet potato vine ‘Lime’, nasturtiums, purple basil and ornamental kale are all edible (though I would question the kale idea) and look great.
Plant compact vegetables. Patio tomato, summer squash, radishes, cucumber ‘Fanfare’, eggplant ‘Fairy Tale’, spring onions, and mesclun mix all work well in confined space.
Go vertical. Roses climb, as do honeysuckle, wisteria, bittersweet, hardy kiwi (to zone 2 - Edmonton!), clematis and the list goes on.
Intense soil. If you intensify your garden and expect great performance from the plants you must use quality soil or the results will speak for themselves. I replace the soil in my containers every year (good advice for all gardeners).
Mark Cullen appears on Canada AM every Thursday morning at 8:40. He is spokesperson for Home Hardware Lawn and Garden. Sign up for his free monthly newsletter at www.markcullen.com.
