Five Space-Saving Ideas for Your Garden

Space is often at a premium in UK gardens today, with official figures showing that in the UK their average size is much smaller than it used to be. So how can you make the most out of your plot?

Madingley Mulch are experienced suppliers of DIY building materials in Cambridge. Here we have compiled these five top tips for ways in which you can make the most of the space in your garden.

Mix and Match Your Plants

The traditional gardening approach is to create separate areas for growing fruit and vegetables and different types of flowers, but in smaller gardens that may not be possible. Instead, try growing a mix of ornamental and edible plants in the same bed.

This makes it more difficult for predatory pests to home in on specific crops, while also ensuring you have a regular supply of colourful blooms throughout the year. Another advantage is that this will also ensure there are plenty of insects around to pollinate your fruit and veg.

Grow Upwards

Even the smallest of gardens have plenty of space in one direction – upwards. So consider attaching planters to your walls, fences or boundaries, as species such as Kiwi fruits, grapevines, climbing beans and peas will all thrive, given enough sun. Make sure your supports are sturdy enough to cope with a lot of growth, as you may be pleasantly surprised at how quickly these plants shoot up.

Fruit trees can also be trained to grow up walls, fences and trellises. While varieties such as apples and pears need plenty of sun, there are some which will thrive in shadier spots, including gooseberries and redcurrants.

Go Potty

Rather than have your entire space eaten up by large flower beds, an alternative is to use containers and pots as the main feature of your garden instead. Potted plants won’t deprive other shrubs and flowers of much-needed sunlight and moisture, and they can also be moved around to create different effects.

Good plants to grow which don’t take up much room, and will also provide plenty of colour, include lavender, which should thrive throughout the year, and winter-flowering bulbs such as tulip and crocus.

Versatility is Valuable

Even if your garden is small, you will still want somewhere to sit, relax and enjoy it. Buy foldable chairs and tables which you can stack away at the end of the day, and benches and railway sleepers which can be used as either plant supports or as somewhere to sit.

Raised flower beds are a particularly useful feature in smaller plots, as you can install these with low walls, which double up as seating areas. Higher-level plants are also much easier to look after. Madingley Mulch’s exclusive product, Denise’s Delight, a mixture of manure, Black Fen soil, humus and other plant nutrients, is an ideal soil conditioner for all raised beds.

Use All the Space

As well as fences and trellises, try to use every single scrap of available space around your home, even if you don’t think of it as part of your garden. Even smaller areas can often be transformed with tables, benches, or an unusual plant, or even a garden sculpture. Paths can be brightened with decorative stones and colourful gravel.

And have you thought of fitting planters directly underneath your kitchen window? These can be filled with a range of colourful blooms to brighten up your day, or, if you want to be more practical, a range of herbs. Just pick what you need through the window to add some flavour to your meals.

DIY Building Materials from Madingley Mulch

At Madingley Mulch, we supply a wide range of DIY building materials from our base on the edge of Cambridge, including paving slabs, trellis fencing and railway sleepers. Our friendly, experienced staff will be happy to offer advice on how to get the most out of your garden space.

We also offer free delivery for all orders within 15 miles of our own address. A standard £20 charge applies to all orders within 24.5 miles, and we can also deliver to addresses further away as well. Our regular weekly delivery service goes to Haverhill, Newmarket, St Ives, St Neots, and all other towns and villages in the area.

---

Back to blog