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Ideas for small outdoor space
You can grow plants to enhance the look of your small outdoor space. Photo by Ismail Kezaala
What you need to know:
- Some of the commonly grown potted flowers one can consider buying include roses, water orchids, cactus, among others.
With the enormous expenses incurred in buying land and building, a number of home owners and real estate developers cannot afford the luxury of having a huge outdoor space.
In fact, in some of the residential homes or rentals you visit today, you may notice that there is hardly any outdoor space. In case it is even there, it is quite confined.
You will find instances where someone built a beautiful house, but, with barely any accompanying outdoor space. So, what can one do with such a small outdoor space?
Make a mini-garden
During the recent lockdown when she was spending most of her time at home, Judith Lanyero, a mother of two, decided to turn her family’s small outdoor messy compound into a mini-garden. Lanyero’s family residence is located in Mukono District.
“I have always been having a sort of unkempt compound at my house cluttered with all sorts of building materials. So, during the lockdown, I decided to put back this place into order by removing all the clutter, tending to the land before finally planting my favorite vegetable, gobe also known as boo,” Lanyero says.
The now green leafy vegetables, Lanyero says, have given the compound an appealing green fresh look.
Similarly, Jane Mitala, a mother of four, also put the outdoor space outside her family home into great use during the lockdown. Right next to the home was a small unused space laying idle.
“I have some little farming knowledge and skills acquired during my vibrant youth. So, with these few skills in hand, I cleared the land and added some organic fertilizers which included leftover food items,” she says.
A few days later, Mitala grew different herbs including lemon balm, basil, peppermint and oregano.
Once they grow, she intends to use them for preparing either tea or food because of the aroma and other health benefits.
Put furniture designed for outdoors
This is a fantastic idea for those who enjoy sitting outdoors, yet, they have small spaces. You may consider your preferable choice of furniture to use for the small outdoors.
For the case of Peter Muwonge, staying in a rental flat in Ntinda, a suburb located in the outskirts of Kampala city, the 28 year old loves taking out his plastic chair and a small wooden stool every time he wants to enjoy seeing the views from his apartment balcony.
Muwonge says the plastic chairs are very ideal for outdoor use.
“They are easily portable and the material is not easily affected by bad weather including rain,” he says.
Besides plastics and wood, one can also consider outdoor furniture made from other types of material including metal such as wrought iron and stainless steel.
Consider potted flowers
In case you love flowers, why not then buy a few potted ones for your small outdoor space?
These then can be organised well either along your small sized porch (verandah) or compound.
“These flowers will make that small space more attractive and cozy for you the owner,” says Lynette Mirembe, a flower grower.
Some of the commonly grown potted flowers one can consider buying include roses, water orchids, cactus, among others. And nowadays, there are all sorts of vessels used for growing these flowers including baskets, kitchen ware, and, wine bottles, among other items.
But in order for these flowers to flourish, Mirembe advises the owners to always pay extra attention to them by ensuring they are getting the required nutrients including water. Otherwise, they can easily wither.
Mirrors outdoor
Have you ever been to a home where mirrors are placed strategically on the walls outside the house? Well, a few years back, I happened to visit such a residence which had a considerably small compound.
I noticed two huge mirrors on the exterior walls of the house. It’s later that I learnt that sometimes individuals place mirrors in small spaces because these have a tendency of providing depth to a small area by seemingly making it appear bigger and brighter.
My guess is that this was probably the intention of the couple when they chose to place these mirrors outside their house.
