best plants for a courtyard garden

Flowering vines are important players in a courtyard garden. Grow wisteria and old fashioned rambler roses on sturdy pergolas, and choose clematis vines and delicate annual vines like cardinal climber or snapdragon vine for containers and small trellises.

What can I plant in a courtyard garden?

Have a go with tree ferns, bananas, pittosporum and cordylines. 5. Because the boundaries are so important in courtyards, climbers will play a big part in the planting scheme. For a tender but wonderful evergreen with scented flowers in the summer try star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides).

How do I make my courtyard garden look good?

Tips for designing a courtyard garden

Be bold. Often it's better to have one large feature than a group of small ones. ...
Draw the eye. Draw the eye down the garden by the repetition of a key element, such as containers, paths or paving.
Make sure every spot is usable. ...
Use containers. ...
Consider access to the courtyard.

What are the best low maintenance outdoor plants?

Top 10 Low Maintenance Perennials

Shasta Daisy. Shasta Daisies are easy to grow. ...
Coneflower. Coneflower is a mid-summer bloomer that's a great cut flower. ...
Hardy Hibiscus. Hardy hibiscus loves full sun and attracts both hummingbirds and butterflies. ...
Perennial Geranium. Perennial Geranium is a great border plant. ...
Hosta. ...
Ferns. ...
Catmint. ...
Coreopsis.

How do you decorate a courtyard?

Espalier is a traditional, though labor-intensive, way to decorate courtyard walls.

Espalier. This is the word used to describe training a small tree or shrub against a wall in a specific design.
Trellises. ...
Microclimate. ...
Paint the walls. ...
Fool the eye. ...
Ornaments. ...
Lighting. ...
Fountains.

How do you make a small courtyard look bigger?

Make your small backyard look bigger

Create space with zoning. ...
Multilayer your garden with different levels. ...
Trick your eyes with lines. ...
Bring intimacy to your small space. ...
Distract the eye with bright colours. ...
Distract the eye with tropical plants. ...
Excite the mind with mixed elements. ...
Draw the sight up.

How do I transform a courtyard garden?

Courtyard garden ideas: 16 ways to transform small spaces

Create an outdoor room. (Image credit: The RugSeller) ...
Add drama with statement planting. (Image credit: Dobbies) ...
Choose multi-tasking pieces. (Image credit: Wayfair) ...
Take the indoors out. (Image credit: Annie Sloan) ...
Choose quirky accessories. (Image credit: Audenza) ...
Add a level. ...
Keep planting simple. ...
Limit your colours.

How can I transform my garden cheaply?

16 Cheap & Simple Garden Design Ideas

Build pallet furniture. A pallet sofa on garden decking. ...
Make a DIY fire pit. A beautiful fire pit with rounded edging. ...
Decorate your plant pots. Beautiful pink painted plant pot. ...
Recycle plastic bottles. ...
Repurpose old furniture. ...
Paint your fence. ...
Add affordable lighting. ...
Plant in teacups and jugs.

What does a courtyard garden mean?

What is a Courtyard Garden? This definition can also stretch to a smallish garden that comes off a building and is surrounded by high garden walls. ... Essentially it is the walls that are key here.

How do you brighten a shady garden?

How you can brighten up a shady garden

Add a splash of colour. Simply painting the walls and fences that border your garden can add a greater sense of light. ...
Turn on the lights. You're short on light from the sun, so why not create your own. ...
Choose the correct plants. ...
Create sections. ...
Introduce new soil.

What plants look good all year round?

Plants that look good all year

Heart-shaped, purple leaves of the redbud.
Masses of fiery-coloured 'Red Sentinel' crab apples.
White, star-shaped flowers of snowy mespilus.
Small, white flowers and blood red berries of 'Dart's Red Robin' viburnum.
White, bell-shaped flowers on a blueberry bush.
White hydrangea blooms.

What are the easiest outdoor plants?

13 Can't-Kill Flowers for Beginners

Zinnia. Look for zinnias in almost every color except blue; they're also available in a variety of heights. ...
Marigolds. Cheerful marigolds are easy to grow in sunny spots, brightening your garden with shades of yellow, red and gold as they bloom all summer long. ...
Pansies. ...
Impatiens. ...
Begonias. ...
Snapdragons. ...
Daffodils. ...
Cosmos.

What are the best low-maintenance shrubs?

17 Low-Maintenance Plants and Dwarf Shrubs

Butterfly Bush. Prune these plants by late August, so plants have time to harden off before freezes arrive. ...
Fringe Tree. ...
Coral Bells. ...
Denver Daisy. ...
Ninebark. ...
Contoneaster. ...
Purple Pixie. ...
Agapanthus.

How do you build a courtyard?

Here are some tips:

Walls. Higher walls on the sides of the property can give an outdoor living room a feeling of enclosure. ...
Garden features and landscaping. Put a pergola, a fountain, or higher plantings on the perimeter to define the outdoor space and form a boundary. ...
Overhangs. ...
Access.

What is the purpose of a courtyard?

In modern architectural design, courtyards have several purposes: Invites natural light. Natural light is one of the best ways to make a space feel larger, open, and inviting—and courtyards are bright open areas designed to invite sunlight, which can rejuvenate humans and plants alike.

What does courtyard mean?

: a court or enclosure adjacent to a building (such as a house or palace)

What Colours make a garden look bigger?

Planting blue colored plants at the edge of the garden can recede into the distance and make the garden look more prominent. The blue agapanthus or lavenders are best to plant on the sides of a garden. Using a Plumbago hedge is also a great option.

What Colour fence makes a garden look bigger?

Light, cool-coloured paint shades will make a small space feel larger, whereas bright, hot colours and darker shades will have a dwarfing effect. The same applies with plants. Pale pink, soft blue and primrose yellow flowers recede into the distance, so position on garden boundaries to evoke depth.

How can I make my garden look fuller?

Use plants with broad or coarse leaves to add a lush look, such as Hostas. A tropical garden is one of the lushest around, and is filled with large shiny leaves. Take a cue from nature and try to replicate that look! Ornamental grasses add height and fill in space quickly.

How can I design my small garden?

Top 10 tips for small garden design

Use height. Walls, garages, the side of a fence—it's all good space. ...
Compartmentalise. Create your very own secret garden with hidden areas and cosy hideaways. ...
Pave diagonally. ...
Add trees. ...
Keep it bright. ...
Attract wildlife. ...
Be clever with furniture. ...
Use containers.

What can you do with a side alley?

Awesome Ideas To Use Your Narrow Side Yard

Making use of the space for setting up a cozy outdoor shower. ...
Make a side yard makeover for improving home's curb appeal. ...
Build long and narrow garden beds along the yard fence. ...
Turn the narrow space along the side of the house into an outdoor playroom. ...
Hang a hammock under the pergola for creating a backyard retreat.