If you are one of the vast majority who live in an urban environment and lead a busy and hectic lifestyle then you will understand how difficult it can be to find the time to relax sitting in peaceful surroundings and just contemplating. One of the most obvious places to relax is in your backyard but, unfortunately, urban backyards are often only small and gardening in small spaces can be something of a problem, especially if you are relatively new to gardening.

Fortunately there is a great deal of information available, either online or offline, to help you understand the unique aspects of gardening in small spaces. There are a number of excellent books which focus on the problems you will face when creating a garden design for a small backyard and most offer fantastic, and not so obvious, solutions. I would advise anybody that their home library should contain at least one book about the different types of popular garden plants, trees and shrubs, grown in the modern garden. Such publications often list the size in both ultimate height and spread/width. Obviously, when only a small space is available, such information is invaluable.

For the busiest of folk it is often easiest to cover the backyard in decking, paving, gravel or some other material which will suppress grass and weeds. With only minimal garden furniture, a couple of garden ornaments and a few cleverly placed plants, trees or shrubs, in suitable containers, it is possible to create a wonderfully relaxing garden which looks spectacular.

Container gardening is extremely popular and makes gardening in small spaces far easier than ordinary gardening. It is amazing how many diverse plants can be grown in such things as pots and you are not restricted to only flower gardening. Incredibly popular at the moment is herb gardening and it is little wonder when you consider how much better fresh organic herbs taste when compared to dried herbs, but, if you grow your herbs in containers they not only taste great but they can also look great too.

Virtually any container can be used in which to grow plants and vegetables. There is a fantastic selection of pots available in most nurseries with many available online. However the real fun begins when you choose to use something a little less ordinary, old baths and sinks are popular, old wheelbarrows look amazing and even automobile wheels can be sliced open and the tyre inverted to create a fascinating plant container. The most important thing to remember when gardening in small spaces is that you are really only limited by two things

1. The size of the plant - obviously you can only use small or dwarf varieties of species in a small backyard.

2. Your imagination.

There are several other important factors to remember, such as always ensure that water can drain freely from the container, otherwise your plant could easily become over watered. Again there is a wonderful selection of publications dedicated to container gardening and a few are listed below for your convenience.

Do not think flat! Of course any good garden design starts with a ground plan but always remember that it is perfectly feasible to plant upwards. The walls of a small yard can easily be decorated with either shelves of containers or even hanging baskets or hanging containers. By using various types of annual and perennial garden plants you can easily create a wall of flowers.

Do not ignore trees and shrubs Not all trees grow to enormous sizes and there is a truly massive selection of miniature ornamental shrubs and conifers, as well as dwarf or semi dwarf varieties of popular trees, especially compact fruit trees. All of which can easily be grown in containers and most can be pruned to various shapes and styles. Another idea for a yard wall it to plant a tree such as a peach tree which can be trained to grow in a fan style covering the wall completely while not protruding any great distance from the wall itself. Not all trees grow to enormous sizes and there is a truly massive selection of miniature ornamental shrubs and conifers, as well as dwarf or semi dwarf varieties of popular trees, especially compact fruit trees. All of which can easily be grown in containers and most can be pruned to various shapes and styles. Another idea for a yard wall it to plant a tree such as a peach tree which can be trained to grow in a fan style covering the wall completely while not protruding any great distance from the wall itself.

The above introduction to gardening in small spaces should prove to you that it is possible to create a most incredible garden in even the smallest backyard. Such a garden can easily be designed to suite your lifestyle so that you only need to spend the least amount of time gardening to create fantastic results.

If you are finding it difficult to find inspiration and would like to learn more about gardening and garden design for small backyards then you may find the books below of great use.