When you are fond of gardening, but you don’t have too much space for it – in these times of crisis, not everyone can afford to have a house with a big surrounding garden – there are nevertheless things you can do.

First of all, you must realize that even small gardens present challenges to the gardener. You can attempt to make this garden look larger than it actually is, or you can try to squeeze in as many plants as you love. When you have an urban setting, you can create a garden every neighbor will envy.

There are limits to gardening in small spaces. Here you can pay attention to detail. It is much easier to stay on top of the maintenance of the plants and flowers, while you’ll still have time to sit around and enjoy your small garden. Many small gardens are in fact designed around seating areas, as their function is rather to please than to nurture plants.

When you begin to plan your small garden, you must know that every space is important. Be careful where to put the garden, how large you will make it, and choose your plants with care. The trick here is to cut down on the list of plants you love to have to those you can use in this small space. You can try to avoid this problem by creating a framework for plant selection, before you begin your list.

Also good to know is that small gardens pose difficulties for creating a focus point. Needless to say you don’t want to sacrifice your entire garden space to just one tree or large plant. Try to scale down the focal points to the size of your garden. Even the smallest of them have one spot where one flamboyant plant calls attention.

Small places and containers are best friends. Containers give you the chance to experiment and try different plants each season. If you don’t like the plant you picked, you can easily correct this. Containers also excel in control, as gardeners can easily choose the right soil, the right exposure and the right cultural conditions.

Front yards are also excellent places for small gardening. Driveways, walkways, sidewalks and entrances usually cry out for some type of soft framing with small shrubs or flowers. Even the hardest city dweller can do with a bunch of flowers at his stoop.

Of course, small gardens can also be used to grow fresh vegetables, herbs and fruits. Plant breeders have been developing a wide variety in types that can grow in a small patch or even in a container all year long. Even I, who am not a gardener at heart, have some pots with fresh herbs at my window sill.

Some plants can become quite handy to cover up cracks and spaces in your paved walkways or patio. You can cover these up with spreading sedums and creeping thyme. They not only look great, but they can handle foot traffic and even neglect.