Have a garden in your backyard or on a plot that is surrounded by walls that make it look smaller and even boxed in? No matter what size your garden is, you can make it look beautiful with some creative landscaping and well-chosen plants.
This guide will give you some great ideas and tips on how to make the most of your square garden, turning your outdoor living space into the garden you’ve always dreamed of.
The shape of your garden will probably be square or nearly square if you live in a city or suburb. You might think that this limits your design choices, but don’t. There are many creative and one-of-a-kind ways to make your box-shaped garden your own.
In actual fact, square and rectangular-shaped gardens can be completely transformed simply by incorporating different elements. You can soften the sharp corners of a square garden with curved paths, retaining walls, and plants. Light colors on the pavement, walls, and fences around the garden can also make small areas look much bigger.
To help you get inspired, our garden design experts have put together a list of ideas you can use to make your perfect small square garden.
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Square-shaped gardens and yards can present unique design challenges. With their rigid right angles and often small spaces it may seem difficult to create an interesting garden layout. However square gardens have great potential. With thoughtful planning and creative elements, they can be transformed into beautiful, functional outdoor living areas. Here are 20 innovative ideas to inspire your square garden design.
Incorporate Curves
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Use curved beds and borders to soften the hard edges of a square space. Plant billowy perennials and grasses along the curves.
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Add round accent features like stone planters, water features, or sculptures. These provide focal points and break up the straight lines.
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Install a circular patio, walkway, or deck as an inviting outdoor living space Flagstone set on the diagonal can also give the illusion of curves
Divide into Sections
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Use pathways, low walls, trellises or rows of shrubs to divide a square garden into smaller quadrants or rectangles. This creates intimacy and gives spaces designated purposes.
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Try repeating shapes in different zones for cohesion. For example, have square planting beds in one area and circular ones in another.
Incorporate Height
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Add vertical elements like obelisks, arbors, potted trees and tall planters. These draw the eye up and make the garden feel less flat.
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Vining plants grown on supports add height and softness along walls or fences. Great options include climbing roses, clematis, and jasmine.
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Place a focal point like an ornamental tree, standalone arbor, or waterfall in the center to create vertical interest.
Use Symmetry
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A symmetrical design with identical plantings and features on each side adds balance and harmony. It allows the geometry of the square to shine.
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Try matching curved planting beds, urn fountains, pathways, or other eye-catching elements in two corners.
Add a Focal Point
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Draw attention by incorporating a striking water feature, fire pit, large garden art piece, or specimen tree as a focal point. This keeps the eye moving around the garden.
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Place the focal point in the center or at an intersection of pathways. Avoid putting it right against a corner or wall.
Include Hardscaping
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Hardscaping like patios, walkways and decking help divide the garden into functional spaces. Materials like stone, brick and wood add color and texture.
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Incorporate shapes and patterns in the hardscape for interest. Diagonal bricks, pavers in geometric designs, and curving paths break up the rigid lines.
Use Varying Levels
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Changes in elevation provide depth and make the garden more dynamic. Try creating a raised planting bed edged in stone. Or install a sunken sitting area with bench steps.
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Slope the grade gently down from back to front for interest and to allow proper drainage.
Play with Color
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Vibrant blooms in all colors of the rainbow make a garden pop. Mass similar hues together for impact.
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Use foliage plants with striking leaves like purple smoke bush, burgundy ninebark, or golden hops for color when not much is blooming.
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Paint or stain garden structures in bright, cheery colors to enliven the space.
Incorporate Garden Art
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Sculptures, decorative pots, weathervanes, and other accents showcase personality. Match the style to the overall design for cohesion.
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Distribute statuary and garden art throughout the entire space rather than cluster in one spot. This encourages wandering.
Include Fragrance
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Sweetly perfumed plants like gardenias, lilacs, lavender, and citrus trees engage the senses when interacting in the garden.
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Place fragrant plants along pathways or near seating areas where their aromas can best be appreciated.
Add Small-Scale Charms
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Elements at the garden’s edge draw you in to explore the space. Try adding a bench beside the doorway, stone lanterns along the fence, or containers by an entry arbor.
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Low-growing edging plants like sweet alyssum, Irish moss, thyme and sedum soften boundaries pleasantly.
Consider Lighting
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Lighting extends enjoyment into the evening and adds drama. Uplights in trees create a magical effect.
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Line pathways with low-voltage lights or place spotlights on focal points. Use solar lights to cut down on wiring.
Include Wildlife Habitat
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A birdbath, butterfly garden, bee hotel, and birdfeeders invite wildlife in. This brings color and life.
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Provide shelter, food sources, water, and places to nest/hide for the species you hope to attract. Native plants support local fauna best.
Grow Vines
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Vining plants like clematis, honeysuckle, and jasmine climbing a trellis, arbor, or fence conceal rigid boundaries while adding softness.
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Position climbing plants to slowly cover unsightly walls or views. Fast-growing annual vines work quickly to provide the desired screening.
Add Water Features
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The sound and movement of water provides a soothing ambiance. Fountains, ponds, or recirculating waterfalls work in square spaces.
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Locate the water feature centrally where the geometry of the square garden highlights the design. Surround with round river rocks.
Square gardens present an exciting design opportunity to add beauty, inviting spaces, and stylish details. By using curves, elevation changes, hardscaping, color, and vertical elements, any rigid or small square footage can be transformed. Consider how you want to use your square garden, then get inspired by these creative ideas to make your space uniquely yours. With smart planning and imaginative touches, square gardens can feel anything but boxy.
How can I split up a square garden?
Adding hard landscaping like trellises, archways, patios, or raised flower beds is the best way to divide your garden into different areas that can be used for different things.
You can also do some soft landscaping by adding herbaceous plants, lawns or hedges. Youre likely to achieve the best outcome when using a mix of these measures.
Think about how you want your garden to look and how you want to use that space before you divide it up. Gardening (herb and vegetable garden), storage (a shed), or fun (sculptures, fountains, pond, etc.) could all have their own areas. ).
Screening is also an intriguing option to separate your garden. You can soften the view with trellising, which will also make people want to see what’s beyond.
Include garden beds
Whether they are raised beds or planted into the ground, flower beds are an easy and straightforward way of zoning your square garden and giving it some character.
With clean, even-sized concrete raised beds, you can make a modern garden or a romantic country garden. The choice is yours.
Herb and vegetable beds can be a great addition to your garden and offer a sense of purpose. By dividing your flower beds into themes, you can make sure that your garden always looks lively and new.
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FAQ
What can I do with a square garden?
How to zone a rectangular garden?
How do you layout a garden design?
What makes a good Square Garden?
It’s all about the shapes. White sandstone is a great material for you to create small decks in your backyard. The curved path softens the edges of this square garden. 16. Grass circles Another great example of how curved shapes look amazing on a square garden. 17. Small table Sometimes all you need is a simple table to complete your garden look.
How to design a Square Garden?
A simple bridge, stone pagoda, neatly pruned bushes, and miniature trees can truly set a square garden apart, making it seem like an escape from the pressures of city life. Use symmetry to add visual appeal. Apart from being relaxing to the eye, symmetrical shapes and forms can simplify the design and plant selection process.
Why should you choose a square shaped garden?
The perfect square shape can provide a fantastic outline for accentuating symmetry and style. As many modern-day properties, particularly those in developed regions, have allotted square-shaped spaces as backyards, gardeners may find themselves wishing to incorporate more curves, organic forms, and movement in their design.
What is a small square garden design?
This is a small square garden design whose floor is made of gravel stone and has a square mini garden in the center with borders made of brick. The sides of this garden are also surrounded with greenery which adds a lot of freshness and appeal to the garden. earthmamadesign.com
Are all small gardens Square in shape?
There are some inspiring ideas for small gardens (though not all of them are square in shape) on the Ideal Home website. Having a focal point to grab the attention will disguise the squareness of your garden – whether a pergola, gazebo, summer house or garden office.
What is a traditional landscape garden in a square design?
This is a large traditional landscape garden in a square design. It is an amazing formal garden in the square shape which contains several colorful plants and flowers. It also features a stone pathway which leads to the fire pit. Design by Saucier + Flynn, Ltd.