Sliding backyard corridors behind rows of houses do not provide a great deal of room to entertain, add greenery or run and play. If you stay in a home that provides very little back yard, that doesn’t mean you can not have a decorated area that’s satisfying to look at or even provide a place to sit and talk with a visitor. It’s all about sizing and where you put things.
Add height to the room to provide the illusion it’s a larger area. Plant a tree in a corner, and permit the tree to grow tall. It will provide greenery above your head and will not encroach your own space.
Establish vandalism containing flowering plants together an outside garden wall or along the outer wall of your home, or hang planters along the wall. Hanging planters bring the shade of flowers up to eye level. Use flowers like rose impatiens (Impatiens walleriana), that grows best in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zones 4 to 10, or “Nora Barlow” columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris “Nora Barlow”), great for USDA zones 3 through 9. Impatiens prefer mainly shady areas, and “Nora Barlow” columbine grows well in both sunny and shady places.
Put small but comfy chairs in your patio. Small chairs will not take up the majority of the space but may also provide a few chairs for guests. Add tables which are small in diameter but useful and will not stick out too much.
Plant a climbing vine like ivy along the foundation of a fence or dividing wall between your property along with a neighbor’s land. Let the climbing vine climb to cover the wall, adding color and texture. Varieties that work well contain Algerian ivy (Hedera canariensis) and Persian ivy (Hedera colchica). Algerian ivy prefers partial sun to shade and also does well in USDA zones 6 through 10, while Persian ivy prefers full sunlight to partial shade and grows best in USDA zones 6 through 9.
Place potted plants on tops of low garden walls to bring up the eye toward open space and include shade. Include plants like Dwarf double heron’s bill (Erodium reichardii x variabile “Flore Pleno”), that is increased in USDA zones 5 through 9 and favors shade, and creeping zinnias (Sanvatalia procumbens), that grow best in full sunlight in most USDA zones.
Add a couple of little features to increase the narrow lawn’s appeal. The characteristics could have a bird feeder on a support post at one side of the yard along with an arrangement of potted plants of various sizes grouped together.