When you love the outdoors but don’t have much room, planning a garden or yard can be frustrating. What do you do with that tiny corner of soil? Or how do you add a water feature without it looking odd? Here are some fun, creative ideas for adding some pop and flair – and yes, even water features – to your tiny yard space.

Bushy Greens with a Tiny Water Feature

Just because you have a small yard doesn’t mean you can’t have a water feature. In fact, with the right green plants, that tiny water feature will look attractive and inviting, and it will look downright lush. Bushy greens like ferns and caladiums will do the trick, especially if you add some bushy flowering plants as well.

Flowerbed in a Barrel

If you’ve got a tiny patio, small front yard, or even just a balcony, a great way to add a moderately easy to manage landscaping piece is to combine it all into one spot. A barrel bin like this has it all – garden lighting, lush flowers, and attractive greenery. Easy, contained, and won’t take up much room at all.

Tiny Corner Fence and Landscaping

If you’ve got just a little piece of land you’re working with, a great way to create a distinct look is to “fence it off” with a corner of fencing. It can be two full-sized panels or a couple of shorter panels like those shown here. Then, plant the space carefully with precise plants that won’t overflow for a neat look. Or, if you want the illusion of a larger space, go with bigger, bushier plants that will overflow the spot a bit.

DIY Tiered Garden

Whether you’re interested in an herb garden as suggested in this image or need to keep everything contained in a tight space, using a tiered garden design is a great way to add some beauty. This DIY tutorial is moderately easy to follow and perfect for planting herbs, flowers, or others when you’re finished.

Rock Bed with Container Succulents

Here’s a great idea for your tiny space. Lay down a bed of rocks or gravel to keep your space tight and neat, then place planters with succulents on the gravel. You can make the space as large or small as needed and select planters to fit. There are some great ideas for unique, quirky, elegant, or tiny planters available for a creative take on this idea.

Wall Climbers

If you’re really tight on space, you can add some color and charm by installing some trellis on the side of the house. Let flowering plants, ivy, or other climbers take over. Heck, if you do it right, you can even grow cucumbers, pole beans, peppers, or even some climbing tomatoes this way.

Small Raised Bed Garden

Whether you’re feeling flowers or a veggie garden, a well-contained small, raised bed garden could be the perfect way to go for your landscaping project. Find some free bricks, concrete blocks, or pavers on Craigslist or Freecycle, and build up your beds for planting.

You can built-up beds like this one with multiple tiers or go for a longer, narrower bed if your space calls for that. As long as you choose the right plants for smaller spaces, you’ll do fine, whatever shape you choose.

Planter Spill Outs

This is a fun touch for a small space – a planter spill out. Find a larger pot, barrel, or even bucket to start with. Then, place it on its side and plant your flowers. Let them spill out!

Or, if you’re looking for less maintenance, use gravel, river rocks, or glass pebbles instead of flowers and let them do the “spill out.”

Tractor Till Fountain in Rock Bed

For a water feature, you can contain pretty easily in your small space, consider this unique DIY project: a tractor till fountain. It adds a nice, rustic look to your tiny space without a lot of extra work or space-consuming materials. Simply build into a rock or pebble bed using the tutorial, and voila – small, attractive water feature!

Tiny Trees with Hostas

If you love the idea of adding some trees to your small space, you can find some small, slow-growing fruit or flowering trees to tuck into your landscaping. To fill out the area around the small tree, plant some hostas or other vibrant greenery, and with very little effort, you’ve got a garden spot fit for royalty.

Tiny Flowerpot Bed

If you’re into flowers and container gardens, you can consider a setup like this one. You don’t need much space to plant a dozen tulips or iris, and the gravel/pebbles fill in the gaps for an attractive look. It’s pretty easy to maintain these spaces, too, plus you can switch out perennials by season if you want to keep the blooms flowing.

Pavers and Plants

Just because you can’t add a whole patio doesn’t mean you can’t have a mini reading oasis in your back (or side) yard. Find some larger pavers like these, place them carefully to create a space large enough for a couple of chairs to sit level, add some for a walking path or foundation for a small firepit, and voila – plenty of comfy space in a nook of a yard.

Small Yard Doesn’t Equal Boring

Having a small yard doesn’t mean your space has to be boring, bland, or undecorated. You can find some of the nicest outdoor spaces in tiny yards with just a few feet of width or depth. Any of these ideas work for small spaces – and if you have a hint more space, you can use one or two – and won’t cost much to create. Your small yard can still be your mini paradise.