Chicago Landscaping: Create Big Impact in a Small Urban Outdoor Space
Chicago Landscaping: Small Space, Big Impact
One of the interesting parts about urban-area gardening is that the outdoor spaces vary more than you see in strictly suburban areas. There are also far fewer large expanses of yard in urban areas, and the up side of having less space to landscape is that you can spend less to create a sanctuary.
But there are challenges, too, and these challenges are also what make Chicago landscaping projects a lot of fun.
When you work in the city, you face landscaping issues like:
- lack of privacy
- light pollution
- tight and even usual spaces to work around
- unsightly objects or buildings within your view
- sound pollution
But even these issues are generally not insurmountable with smart solutions.
SMALL BUT MIGHTY
Just because your space is small, that doesn’t mean you’ll have to settle for less impact in what you do outdoors. In fact, I think it’s easier to create MORE impact in a smaller space! And smaller spaces tend to be a lot cozier as well.
This brings me to a side tip: If you do have a lot of outdoor space, start thinking about how to chunk it up into several smaller, cozier outdoor areas. Once you start looking at your outdoor plan in this fashion, you can even choose to do the work in sections over a few years. So whether you have a lot of space or just a little, these Small Space|Big Impact tips still apply.
I suggest you first start considering what you want for your spaces by doing an assessment of your outdoor space. Take into account the space’s challenges, its intended use and the things in your landscape that you absolutely must work around along with your style inclinations and your wish lists. Then start to consider some of the options for small-space landscaping.
Aside from style, intended use and favorite plants, look at how you might employ devices like:
- Color
- Vertical surfaces
- Focal-point objects
- Lighting
If you see something that inspires you (like the impact that vertical gardening offers), do a little research online to get a sense of how far you can go with a concept and whether you think it would fit with your space and structures.
Also, consider introducing color into your plan. Color can be deployed through anything from cushions to walls to walkways to plants and more. Again, if you think you’d like to make a bold statement through the use of color, do some research and find out how others have done it. You can keep a scrapbook on Houzz or Pinterest to save your ideas as you discover them, consider them and refine them.
Experiment!
Don’t be afraid to try something new in your small space. Have fun with it. If you’re afraid of making a mistake, remember that nothing good can ever come from doing nothing. You can always hire a professional to create your overall landscaping plan, then opt to do the parts of it yourself that you’d most enjoy.
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