Better Homes & Gardens Small-Space Gardens

Beautiful gardens don’t require a big yard or massive property. Even balconies, patios, decks, and rooftops can house stunning plants and gardens. This issue focuses on pockets of space and inspiring examples of what gardeners can accomplish there. Filled with easy projects, plant recommendations, hardscape solutions, and more, the issue will help any gardener create a beautiful garden no matter where they live.

From the Editor

Better Homes and Gardens

Let’s Get Started • SOIL • WATER • FERTILIZER • COMPOST • TOOLS • EDIBLES • POLLINATORS • PESTS

Plant a Lush Container • With a little bit of effort, a container with the right mix of thriving flowers and foliage will provide a vibrant pop of color you can enjoy all season long from your patio, porch, or balcony. Follow these five steps.

Where Flowers Overflow • With a plantable space just 25 feet wide, a landscape architect transforms his rowhouse garden into a vibrant sanctuary full of color and joy.

Get Lost • Screened views, playful paths, and diverse plants make this compact garden feel larger than its actual footprint.

Work in Bloom • A sun-drenched garden with fragrant flowers and vibrant vines tucks between a stand-alone office and main house to provide a break for relaxation and serenity.

Rhythm & Roots • An urban garden hits all the right notes for this cellist and former orchestra teacher’s green thumb.

Three Seasons Window Box • A window box provides the base to swap out seasonal plants, accents, and dried foliage to give your house a joyful boost of style throughout the year.

Start Seeds Indoors • It’s simpler than you think—and can be done with items you might already have on hand.

Painted Paradise • Memories of childhood in Haiti and a love of color provide the inspiration for this bright backyard garden.

Shoebox Sanctuary • A small lot, a few raised beds, and a couple of trellises provide this mother-daughter duo with fresh produce in their own Brooklyn backyard.

Common Ground • Connection and cultivation grow abundantly in this home’s thriving backyard.

Sky-Grown Feast • In the heart of Boston, an apartment-dweller turned her rooftop garden into a culinary retreat with a bounty of veggies and fruits.

At-Home Harvest • Chickens, citrus, and eco-consciousness thrive in an Austin couple’s reimagined urban yard.

Grow Your Own Food • Less watering, fewer weeds, easier plant maintenance: Construct a raised bed for your backyard.

Plant Around a Mailbox • Start small in your gardening endeavors by picking a tiny plot of land to sow some color. This pocket garden creates curb appeal and adapts easily to surround a lamppost or flagpole. When designing a garden for a street-level mailbox, consider the special growing conditions of the curbside location.

Porchside Gathering • A transformed front yard, inspired by Cape Cod and contemporary art, promotes impromptu neighborhood get-togethers and formal events.

Cottage Charm Revival • A well-placed picket fence, a redirected front path, and abundant flowerbeds turn a once mundane front yard into a warm and inviting retreat.

Warm Reception • An overhaul of this typical front yard provides updated spaces for welcoming and unwinding.

Pollinator Haven • An Ohio homeowner’s native garden is a masterpiece that reflects her passion for nature and peaceful spaces.

Add a Tree to a Small Space • You might assume a tree has no business living in a petite landscape, but those leaves and branches should feel welcome. Here’s why.

Put a Patio in Your Outdoor Space • Swap a grassy patch for a hard surface to hang with friends, grow potted plants, or both—plus, you’ll save on water bills and mowing time.

Planting a...