GARDENING IN TINY SPACES

It’s that time of year again. Chelsea Flower Show starts this week and those clever green-fingered magicians are tempting us with their planting schemes. The scientists have proved that living with nature nearby is good for our health and well-being. That's great in theory except of course, most of the population live in a town or city. Even if we do have a little bit of outside space to call our own, it's likely to be pretty tiny. The good news is that even a little bit of green goes a long way. We've tracked down five clever ways to get growing in tiny spaces. Just add a deckchair, a glass of chilled prosecco and get ready for the sunshine    

Hang it all

If you have a tiny patio with limited square footage the answer may well be to go high. Fill decorative bird cages and lanterns with trailing plants and hang them up from wall hooks in one corner. Cluster a few together to maximise the impact. We love these two ornamental bird cages - £95 for the pair from Cox & Cox .  

Sort it with shelving

Got a fence or railing to spare? These Industrial Copper Three Layer Shelves are meant for hanging over doors inside your home, but with a generous coating of clear varnish they would be just as happy hooked on to a balcony. Mix up what you put in there - with colour structural plants and some trailers to tangle the whole thing together.  £59 from Rockett St George    

A DIY Vertical Living Wall

How clever is this idea from brit.com - turn a simple wooden pallet in to an easy to do living wall. Not just space saving but also easy on the wallet. Use it to grow either ornamental plants or herbs and veggies. Check out this link to find out how.    

Seeing Double

Whatever space you have got, double it by adding mirrors. We've spotted some lovely ones made to look like windows, but our favourites are those that look like they could be just at home above a grand fireplace as adorning an outdoor wall.  We loved this one spotted on pinterest painted sky blue so it adds a pop of colour as well as bouncing light around the space. It's just one of the eclectic garden ideas from dishfunctionaldesigns.blogspot.co.uk  

Inside Out Wall

This shelving is actually positioned inside the house but right up against the window and dotted with house plants to create a glorious green natural curtain. It helps the tiny outdoor space in front of it to feel more lush as well as bringing nature inside the home. Clever huh? Ikea's FJÄLKINGE shelving would work well for this. It comes in a range of sizes with a starting price of £90.  

Lead image from housedoctor.dk