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Small Space Garden Ideas
Perfect for people who have little space to garden, whether a doorstep, balcony, or part of a wall. "Small Space Garden Ideas" is full of creative ideas for making use of every growing space available.
From windowsills and hanging baskets to rooftop containers and vertical gardens, "Small Space Garden Ideas" shows you how to create a dream garden, through step-by-step projects from start to finish.
From windowsills and hanging baskets to rooftop containers and vertical gardens, "Small Space Garden Ideas" shows you how to create a dream garden, through step-by-step projects from start to finish.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 20, 2014
7 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 3, 2018
Good browsing for ideas.
June 10, 2020
Information about flowers, planted in the ground, such as annuals, as well as flowers in urns, large pots and hanging baskets.
Perennials up almost every year such as sedums, hostas, phlox, and other in ground plants are always good to see in early spring. I love the mixture of annuals & perennials in ground and in large containers.
Check this book out from the Villa Park Public Library!
Perennials up almost every year such as sedums, hostas, phlox, and other in ground plants are always good to see in early spring. I love the mixture of annuals & perennials in ground and in large containers.
Check this book out from the Villa Park Public Library!
March 6, 2020
I didn't realize this, but the book is about projects such as pots, windowboxes, fences, wheelbarrows, etc. Not what I would be working on. There are ideas for air plant cannisters, tin can cannisters, things that hang, frames, concrete planters, and choosing plants. This book would be right for someone looking for these home projects. I was looking for a book about planting on small acreage.
July 29, 2019
That's all it is and what a wonderful selection of projects for all types of skill level. Easy and inexpensive. Best ideas for the small areas and apartment dwellers. A complete book for all ages and interests. Highly recommend for those seeking ideas for the special project you are seeking. Enjoy.
September 10, 2018
I feel like I have extremely high expectations for garden books. For some reason I want them to be mind-blowing and revolutionary. There are cute ideas though.
March 6, 2020
All the projects in here are current and beautiful.
March 20, 2021
Fun ideas and projects. Loved the little insect house with green roof. Cement garden pots were also nice.
March 5, 2023
Insect house; Bird stations
March 13, 2025
Not exactly what I was looking for but I did get a couple good ideas. Beautiful photos. Clear directions.
March 10, 2017
Nice book with cute ideas and great tips for caring for a variety of plants. Some of the projects are very involved and I probably won't attempt them, but I'm really excited to try working with air and water plants, and also moss!
October 31, 2016
This book is full of great ideas for small spaces, just as it promises. I especially like a lot of the hanging ideas: saddlebag balcony planters, edible planted wall, hanging ball of succulents, vintage teatime alpine planter, and upside-down lampshade chile planter. I also want to try a lot of the vertical growing ideas like the strawberry picture frame plante, living succulent mirror frame, and vertically mounted mini greenhouse. The portable hanging insect house with green roof is also a beautiful looking project. I don't think I could have come up with these ideas on my own and I certainly wouldn't have know how to make all the steps happen. So I'm definitely grateful for all the research and work that went into the book.
The little guides throughout the book that have little illustrations and discuss the best time to start the project ("time it right") and care advice (where to site, watering, general care) are super helpful!
All that said, a few things bother me. Throughout the book, the author recommends that people add a layer of gravel to the bottom of containers to improve drainage. This would be fine if this actually worked, but it's been scientifically proven that as water moves from one type of material to another, it's harder for the water to keep following. So it's a myth that gravel or stones at the bottom of containers improves drainage. Unfortunately it's a persistent myth that won't die because it keeps being repeated, like in this book.
Another thing that really bothers me about the book is that a lot of the project ideas seem to be very similar to the ones that appear in Teeny Tiny Gardening by Emma Hardy. This other book came out in 2013, one year before Small Space Garden Ideas came out. Emma Hardy is also based in the UK, just like Philippa Pearson. It seems like a number of the ideas are pretty directly taken from Emma Hardy's Teeny Tiny Gardening book (the name of the idea in Emma Hardy's book is shown--> how it showed up in Philippa Pearson's book):
*dainty teacups p 16 --> Vintage teatime alpine planter p 90
*green roof birdhouse p 70 --> portable hanging insect house with green roof p 198
*lush water garden p 103 --> miniature tabletop water garden p 52
*guttering gardens p 122 --> pea and broad bean shooter shelves p 129. Both ideas use painted gutters and the ones in Pearson's book are even a very similar blue to Hardy's.
*cake stand terrarium p 109 --> closed glass terrarium p 38. I get that terrariums aren't a completely original idea, but like the other ones, it's executed in a super similar way.
The fact that super similar ideas appeared in another container gardening book just a year before this book was published, along with the inaccurate info about gravel helping with drainage, leaves a bad taste in my mouth. If it weren't for these things, I would have probably given the book 5 stars.
The little guides throughout the book that have little illustrations and discuss the best time to start the project ("time it right") and care advice (where to site, watering, general care) are super helpful!
All that said, a few things bother me. Throughout the book, the author recommends that people add a layer of gravel to the bottom of containers to improve drainage. This would be fine if this actually worked, but it's been scientifically proven that as water moves from one type of material to another, it's harder for the water to keep following. So it's a myth that gravel or stones at the bottom of containers improves drainage. Unfortunately it's a persistent myth that won't die because it keeps being repeated, like in this book.
Another thing that really bothers me about the book is that a lot of the project ideas seem to be very similar to the ones that appear in Teeny Tiny Gardening by Emma Hardy. This other book came out in 2013, one year before Small Space Garden Ideas came out. Emma Hardy is also based in the UK, just like Philippa Pearson. It seems like a number of the ideas are pretty directly taken from Emma Hardy's Teeny Tiny Gardening book (the name of the idea in Emma Hardy's book is shown--> how it showed up in Philippa Pearson's book):
*dainty teacups p 16 --> Vintage teatime alpine planter p 90
*green roof birdhouse p 70 --> portable hanging insect house with green roof p 198
*lush water garden p 103 --> miniature tabletop water garden p 52
*guttering gardens p 122 --> pea and broad bean shooter shelves p 129. Both ideas use painted gutters and the ones in Pearson's book are even a very similar blue to Hardy's.
*cake stand terrarium p 109 --> closed glass terrarium p 38. I get that terrariums aren't a completely original idea, but like the other ones, it's executed in a super similar way.
The fact that super similar ideas appeared in another container gardening book just a year before this book was published, along with the inaccurate info about gravel helping with drainage, leaves a bad taste in my mouth. If it weren't for these things, I would have probably given the book 5 stars.
January 3, 2014
Small Space Garden Ideas by Philippa Pearson has some great step by step projects project ideas and includes all the information you will need to undertake them. It is very highly recommended.
Let's face it, winter is the time of year when gardeners turn to gardening books and plan projects for the coming growing season. In Small Space Garden Ideas Philippa Pearson will give you some great ideas for projects you might just want to undertake this year, especially if you have limited garden space or want to try and take full advantage of the space you have available. All the projects are presented from start to finish including a materials list, tools and equipment needed, step by step instructions, suggested plants and care instructions, and gorgeous photos of the results.
More importantly, however, is all the information you need is presented right by the project. Additionally there is a plant guide to assist in choosing plants at the back and an index. While my garden space is not very limited, there were several projects that I'd love to do.
I love the clever-why-didn't-I-think-of-that idea of starting plants in plastic cups with domed lids and "Shooter Shelves" that turn ordinary plastic gutters into a growing space.
I love the "Living Picture Frame." It could easily go on a fence along with the "Air Plant Canisters" project. I love the way both of these planters look and have some real on-the-fence potential. The "Planted Wall" project caught my eye too. I like the "Lampshade Chile Planter" take-off on hanging planters. The "Slate Box Planter" is another good idea as well as an attractive project.
I know we're going to start another terrarium and/or an aerium for displaying air plants. What I'd really like to try is the "Hanging Ball of Succulents" project or maybe the wicker ball globe of air plants. The bird feeders made from cups, mugs, and bowls along with the seedcake hangers will all be likely be made in some form here and put into use.
Obviously Small Space Garden Ideas by Philippa Pearson is packed full of great gardening projects for small spaces!
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of DK via Edelweiss for review purposes.
Let's face it, winter is the time of year when gardeners turn to gardening books and plan projects for the coming growing season. In Small Space Garden Ideas Philippa Pearson will give you some great ideas for projects you might just want to undertake this year, especially if you have limited garden space or want to try and take full advantage of the space you have available. All the projects are presented from start to finish including a materials list, tools and equipment needed, step by step instructions, suggested plants and care instructions, and gorgeous photos of the results.
More importantly, however, is all the information you need is presented right by the project. Additionally there is a plant guide to assist in choosing plants at the back and an index. While my garden space is not very limited, there were several projects that I'd love to do.
I love the clever-why-didn't-I-think-of-that idea of starting plants in plastic cups with domed lids and "Shooter Shelves" that turn ordinary plastic gutters into a growing space.
I love the "Living Picture Frame." It could easily go on a fence along with the "Air Plant Canisters" project. I love the way both of these planters look and have some real on-the-fence potential. The "Planted Wall" project caught my eye too. I like the "Lampshade Chile Planter" take-off on hanging planters. The "Slate Box Planter" is another good idea as well as an attractive project.
I know we're going to start another terrarium and/or an aerium for displaying air plants. What I'd really like to try is the "Hanging Ball of Succulents" project or maybe the wicker ball globe of air plants. The bird feeders made from cups, mugs, and bowls along with the seedcake hangers will all be likely be made in some form here and put into use.
Obviously Small Space Garden Ideas by Philippa Pearson is packed full of great gardening projects for small spaces!
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of DK via Edelweiss for review purposes.
July 24, 2014
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
Small Space Garden ideas is a book dedicated to miniature gardens and displays, mostly outdoors. It makes a lot of use of succulents and plans that don't require soil. It is an ideal book for those in apartment buildings with balconies or who like to make beautiful table-top or wall hanging small displays of plants.
The book focuses on using every day items and turning them into planters of terrariums. From tin cans to lanterns, lampshades to picture frames. Nearly all of the 40 gardening ideas are easy to make but may require specific gardening store supplies such as ready mix concrete or pond liner, which may not always be easy to purchase in smaller quantities.
The themes of the book are gardening in miniature, bringing the gardens to the air (hanging), wall displays, creating custom containers,vegetable/herbs, and learning which plants best grow in small spaces. Everything from preparation to after care of the plants is fully covered in detail.
Each plant project is individually presented with step by step photographs and instructions to make the process easy to follow. Each of the ideas is quite beautiful - the small gardens are definitely not cobbled together second hand crafty projects. But note that there is a strong emphasis on succulents, though there is a large chapter on vegetables for small areas.
In all, the book is beautifully presented and there are some wonderfully creative but very sophisticated and elegant garden projects.
Received as an ARC from the publisher.
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December 23, 2019This book is an excellent collection of ideas for gardening in small spaces using materials that might be available on hand (anyone up for some upcycling?). Due to the specific nature of some of the tools and materials, not all of these concepts are going to be budget-friendly, and many require a decent amount of gardening sense - which should be no problem for a practiced gardener, but may be tough for someone just starting. Either way, the book provides tips for placing and caring for each of its suggested arrangements, and a catalogue of plants and tools needed to embark on a tiny gardening adventure.
February 26, 2014
I was reading this as my car was being worked on. Super creative and so many good ideas. Because I picked this up right when spring is around the corner, so now I'm itching to get my gardening tools and seeds out. I wanna play in the dirt!
March 16, 2014
Great for ideas on where to grow plants when space is limited. Good step by step directions. Just don't look for too much about the best way to plant or how to take care of them once they are planted.
April 6, 2014
Lots of great ideas, fairly simple projects. Clear easy to follow instructions. Great photos. Excellent ideas for gifts or for yourself. Also "green" with ideas to recycle, repurpose. Love this book!
July 26, 2016
Great ideas. Book is laid out very well. Lots of colour photographs throughout.
February 14, 2015
must remember this book in a few months, really beautiful ideas...
Want to read
April 30, 2015- available in SG NLB 635 (Sengkang)
February 2, 2025
4/5 ⭐️
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews