Gardening as a hobby adds years and beauty to your life. A mini garden adds life to those years, especially when you have a small apartment or a house with a limited space to grow anything.
Some see mini gardens as a form of creativity while others believe plants can help them reduce stress. There are even people who adopt gardening as a way to play with colors. Purposes might be different, but the need for ideas is always there. Let’s get some of them.
Smart Mini Garden Ideas at Home
Regardless of the size of your home, the backyard or the balcony can be the most suitable place. So, all ideas on our list are based around these two areas.
Mini Garden Ideas for the Backyard
Having a mini garden in the backyard can be a good initiative for those with short space yet a fondness for gardening. Take a look at these two projects.
Tiered Planters as Mini Herb Gardens
Tiered planters take up less space, allowing you to grow fresh yields. Building a tiered planter garden like the one in the picture is not a hassle.
All you need is a collection of materials, including 2 x 2 x 8′ for the frame, 1 x 6 x 12′ grove and cedar tongue, 1 x 4 x 10′ boards, and 4 x 8′ lattice panel. You also need 3″ screws for the frame and 1⅝″ for the lattice/ cedar.
Before letting you wonder which herbs to grow, I recommend edible ones like oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme. However, the top row can be decorated with climbing jasmine and vincas. If you want to have a supply of fresh, juicy strawberries, so you can have some shakes and delights, the same planter is useful.
A Mini Vertical Garden
This vertical garden can provide a focal point in your backyard if it lacks one. While it has a bunch of herbs like basil, mint plants, sage, thyme, and rosemary, you can grow ferns, bromeliads, succulents, air plants, and vines depending on your taste.
You only need four cedar boards measuring 8′ 2 x 6 each, three cedar boards measuring 8′ 2 x 4 each, and other typical carpenters/ DIY materials. These items should cost around $100, and the plants would cost another hundred bucks.
A Tree Stump As a Planter
Some homeowners have lopped-off trees in the home. You can turn it into a beautiful highlight with one of those in your backyard by planting colorful flowers. Did your landscaper leave the stump of a tree behind that needs to be removed? Well, don’t.
Turn it into a planter in an hour. The project only costs about $25, and you don’t need extra muscles. You just have to chip that stump and make a hole (4 to 8 inches deep), having a 3-inch border. Put some gravel and a mix of 70% potting soil and 30% compost.
Choose pansies, petunias, nasturtiums, cornflower, phlox, marigolds, and other wildflowers. Try to plant some colorful blooms to add life to the planter.
A Gallery Wall with Plants
Imagine an indoor gallery wall where there would be hanging pictures with frames. For this mini garden, you’ll need to use some wall hanging planters on an outdoor wall facing the backyard.
Find some wooden frames and loaf tins (if available), and then drill a few holes in their bases to allow for drainage and a few in their sides to hook them onto the wall.
You can choose Bolivian Begonia and succulents like moss rose, lemon coral sedum, and Mojave yellow. Sweet Alyssum makes an excellent addition due to its being heat-tolerant.
A Planter Made with Old Pallets
Besides fulfilling your desire to have a mini garden, this 2-in-1 pallet planter adds privacy to the backyard. Don’t worry about the cost because you’ll only be using cycled pallets.
Use your thoughts to choose the screen height, planter depth, and plants. I would suggest taller plants because the completed garden is all about creating a subtle separator between your main garden and the rest of the backyard.
On occasions when you want to have the kitchen set up in the backyard and you’ll be preparing for house guests, just place that planter near the kitchen space. You can also fill the planter with leaves and herbs. Thus, you’ll have a privacy screen and a natural source of fresh greens.
Mini Garden Ideas for the Balcony
Are you living in an apartment but cannot resist the fun of gardening? Go ahead and turn your balcony into a mini garden using as much creativity as you already have. Try one of these mini garden ideas for home.
Image Credit: www.pinterest.com
A Mini Herb Garden on the Balcony
Herbs like cilantro, chervil, tarragon, or parsley flourish on a balcony, requiring only a little space. Don’t worry about poor sun exposure since these herbs survive well without much natural light. However, some herbs need six hours of sunlight throughout the day. You can use vegetable containers, trugs, or raised beds. But make sure access to water is easy.
A Bright and Sunny Garden with Citrus Trees
Citrus trees add a touch of creativity to your balcony without requiring matching pots. For them to look as stunning as they can be at their best, abundant sunshine is a must. But you still need a large white umbrella to protect them from the scorching heat of the sun. Secure the shade to your balcony railing. Put a hanging lamp over a cafe table, and you’ll have a nice romantic corner to use during the night.
A Herb Garden That Savors of Culinary Creations
Having a small balcony and then wishing to make a mini garden full of edible herbs cannot go wrong. Look at this simple wooden pallet with chalkboard paint.
Each level should have small holes in the bottom so that water passes through and the wood lasts long without the plants having root rot. Don’t use wood that has been treated with preservatives. After all, you don’t want the chemicals to leach into the tender plants.
Climbing Plants with a Tropical Vibe
When privacy matters, and you wish to live in a tropical atmosphere without actually being a tropical destination, this vine garden has its appeal. Let the vines grow from plastic pots supported by an overhead arbor. Allow a bamboo roll to extend across the railing to bring in privacy just like this mini garden.
Arrange a couple orange chairs and hang an overhead lamp to enjoy a nightly ambiance. Keep some upright plants on your back wall to address your interest in vertical gardening.
Vegetable in Terracotta Pots Lined on the Rail
Vegetable gardening doesn’t necessarily require you to be an avid gardener, especially when you have this idea at your fingertips. Just line some terracotta pots on your balcony rail and hang some of them from the wall, allowing each pot to have their own herb.
This particular mini garden adopts companion planting in which marigolds and tomatoes together make some good pest deterrents. Keep geraniums or Crane’s-bill in large pots for a vibrant display of color that helps with depression and anxiety.
There are hundreds of other mini garden ideas at home, but the ones above are inexpensive and don’t require much space. With a little effort, a few tools and plants of your choice, the job becomes easy.
Once you start; you’ll learn how to make the mini garden more to your liking. For those who really love it, we are here to help. Feel free to ask questions or share your own ideas with us.
