Make your small compound feel big

A well planned compound looks bigger than it actually is. Layering plants of different heights creates an illusion of more space.

When most people think of their dream homes, they think of expansive spaces for their children and pets to run wild and free. However, for most people this will remain nothing but a dream because as populations grow, our spaces become smaller with each passing year. Landscapers have devised tricks that can make your less than ideal yard look and feel bigger.

Plan for your compound
Sometimes the compound looks so hopelessly small that we give up trying to organise it. This refusal to plan according to Wilson Kamanzi, a landscape designer, makes the space look even smaller than it really is.

“Some people become ambitious and want so much into a minimal space resulting in cluttered chaos. So the right thing to do is to decide what your priorities are. Do you want a playground for the children most or an outdoor entertaining space? Choose what you want most and plan around that theme,” Kamanzi advises.

Organise
Even better, a little organization can actually accommodate all the features one wants in their compound without looking scattered. “The trick is to create zones with distinct functions. For instance you can create a children’s play area in one corner and an entertaining space in another corner clearly demarcated with probably a border or furniture,” the landscaper notes.

Zainabu Sula, a décor expert, recommends creating an outdoor lounge in small compounds because they trick the mind to see the space as larger than it actually is.

“Use multifunction pieces of furniture such as tables with storage or foldable picnic table that give you the option of enjoying your outdoor space without having to commit to permanent furniture that take up valuable space,” she says.

Play with layers
What is a compound without your favourite flowers, herbs and trees? But creating a space to accommodate all that can result in utter chaos. This is where tiered or vertical gardens come in handy.

Brenda Ekky, a horticulturist, recommends growing flowers and herbs in mason jars hung on walls or fences. If you can find space to grow things directly in the ground plant flora of different heights.

For example, a dwarf cherry will give you a desired vertical element, but also preserve space below for other specimens of medium height. This layered approach allows you to plant more, without looking cramped or crowded. She recommends plants such as dwarf plants, conifers, and other plants and shrubs that are smaller and less prone to spreading out and taking over the compound.

Colour perspective
Ekky further recommends the use of different coloured plants to create perspective. For instance position warm colours such as yellow, orange and red plants front and centre.

“Because these colours are exciting, they tend to command attention so the rest of the garden will seem to recede. Keep cooler colours around the perimeter, near fences and borders,” Ekky says.

If your compound is unable to have enough green why not fake it? A faux grass rug will make your compound seem bigger, and add some life to brick or concrete.

Let there be light
A gloomy space will always feel more claustrophobic if it lacks natural light. Use materials and surfaces that reflect and allow light in.
For instance sparkly granite and quartzite, are more appropriate than dark blue-black slate or limestone. Polished steel pots and plants with glossy foliage, such as the Japanese aralia and hart’s tongue fern, will also help bring in a little light. Glass tables and balustrades are reflective, too, and being translucent, do not take up much room visually.

Create false depth
Another way to decieve the eye and make a small compound feel bigger is to play with its shape.

With long, narrow gardens, try to lead the eye across the space instead of allowing it to travel straight to the end. This will help to make the garden feel wider and more spacious.
Using an angular design, set at around 30 or 45 degrees, works well. Alternatively, alter the orientation of the paving, or position the main focal point closer, or just off to one side.

Gardens that are wider than they are long can be tackled in exactly the same way, so try to pull the eye across the space rather than allowing it to simply focus on the back boundary.
This trick is particularly effective with short-but-wide gardens that slope down to the home where the rear boundary is all too obvious and may well appear to ‘loom’ overhead.

Also, position larger plants, boulders and pots, for example in the foreground, with smaller ones in the background.