If you have an unused corner in your yard, be sure not to let it go to waste; maximize it as a small corner garden. These compact spaces often get overlooked; however, with some creativity, they can become a focal point and even add curb appeal to your outdoor areas.
Small corners can have considerable potential. With the right plants, materials, and creativity, your underused yard space can become a highlight of your outdoor living area. Whether you have a tiny backyard, a patio, or even a balcony, these small corner garden ideas will help you transform an underutilized space into a garden oasis.
Tell Us: Which one of these small corner garden ideas do you find most inspiring? Let us know in the Comments below!
1. Brick Garden Walkway.
This beautiful corner garden features a brick walkway that leads through the garden to the back gate. The garden is fed with comfrey tea and seaweed feed (found at your local garden center) to create the prolific blooms. This garden has a mix of perennials and annuals, and everything is in pots so they can easily be moved around, perfect for small gardens. Plants include a tower of everlasting sweet peas (twig wigwam is used for the support) by the back gate, thunbergias (orange flowers), pink cosmos, asters, daphne shrub, and hydrangea petiolaris climber. Perennials include salvias, Love and Wishes, and Amistad. (via @fionacumberpatch / Instagram)
2. Tropical Corner Escape.
An unused corner of the backyard of a home in Perth, Australia, features a zen-like garden with a water feature. The raised concrete planter bed is filled with lush plants and the relaxing sound of trickling water. The trees in the background are Frangipani. The plants growing below the tree are the Philodendron Xanadu. (via Cultivart Landscape Design)
3. Shady Garden Corner.
This gorgeous corner garden provides an inspiring oasis. Various pots filled with daffodils are set atop a potting bench. Plants grow up the sides of the shed to create shade for the containers. (via @mettekrull / Instagram)
4. Full Corner Garden.
A corner of this small backyard features a beautiful mix of lush greenery and blooming flowers. Garden edging helps to define this space. The plastic edging is a cost-effective option, easy to install, durable, helps to prevent grass and weeds from growing into your flower bed, and is aesthetically appealing. (via @kompanionlawncare / Instagram)
5. Courtyard Garden Corner.
A townhouse courtyard garden features this colorful corner with a gravel pathway. Plants include dahlias, salvias, and nasturtiums. The wall is painted in Farrow & Ball, while the coach lanterns were sourced from Vaughan Designs and painted orange. (via @tradchap / Instagram)
6. Vertical Garden.
A charming cottage garden features a flowering window box flanked by vertical climbers. The pink roses trail up a rustic wooden trellis affixed to the wall, adding visual interest. (via Jim Bathie for @thecottagejournal / Instagram)
7. Contemporary Corner Garden.
Create a cozy corner in your garden with a built-in bench and a fire pit to relax and enjoy the lush greenery. Climbers along the privacy fence add to this backyard oasis. Wood decking helps to define this outdoor space. (via Kate Eyre Garden Design)
8. Vertical Herb Garden.
This lovely old red brick wall was too good to waste, so iron pot holders were sourced and now carry clay pots with a range of useful herbs, just a step from the kitchen door. When you put them up, bear in mind the weight of the pot, compost, plant, water and use strong rawl plugs and longish screws suitable for external purposes to avoid finding a smashed pot on the ground and a hole in your wall. (via Cornus Garden Design)
9. Corner Garden With A Fence.
Add visual interest to your small corner garden with a weathered fence as your focal point. This DIY fence is made using salvaged wooden planks attached to upright posts. A trio of birdhouses and a pair of terracotta pots filled with flowers are mounted to the fence. In the garden bed, hostas provide a beautiful, lush ground cover. They are ideal for shady areas, as they help prevent soil erosion, suppress weeds, and are low maintenance. Decorative stone edging helps to define the garden bed and keeps the grass and weeds from growing into the planted area. It also helps to retain the mulch, preventing runoff when watering or during a rainstorm. (via Caty Paben / Pinterest)
10. Corner Garden For The Birds.
The highlight of this beautiful corner garden is the birdbath. It provides a spot for the birds to splash around and have a drink. Surrounded by vibrant flowers, this garden bed includes the following: the purple flower in front is an impatiens, an annual. All of the others are perennials. The blue flower behind is catmint, and the yellow flowers are daylilies. The pink flowers on the left and on the right are phlox. The chartreuse plant(s) appear to be Persicaria “Golden Arrow.” The tall flower behind the birdbath looks like Joe Pye Weed. Petunias are around the edge of this flower garden.(via Patrice / Pinterest)
11. Corner Garden With Mediterranean Vibes.
The antique painted wood door with an iron grill was sourced from a local antique collective in Summerland, CA. The potted plants include Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Sticks on Fire’ (the orange ones) and the variegated pinwheels, Aeonium ‘Sunburst’. The shrub just to the right of the sticks of fire and to the left of the pot of Aeonium Sunburst is the Westringia ‘Wynyabbie Gem’. The “blue fingers” are Senecio mandraliscae, which is a succulent. The large, deep brown pot was sourced from a wholesaler, but can be found retail through Terra Sol Nursery in Goleta. The vine hanging on the wall is a mix of two varieties of Bower Vine (Pandorea jasminoides ‘Alba’ and Pandorea jasminoides ‘Rosea’). (via Grace Design Associates)
12. Raised Bed Corner Garden.
A raised planter bed defines this corner garden, and outdoor lights help to illuminate the plants in the evening. Potted plants can easily be moved around if they need more or less sun, making them perfect for small yards. The plants in this corner garden include Carex ‘Ice Dance, Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’, and Lysimachia nummularia. (via Jeffrey Erb Landscape Design)
13. Enchanting Corner Garden.
This lovely corner garden showcases beautiful blooms of various heights for added visual interest. In this garden, the Coneflowers, also known as echinacea, are one of America’s native wildflowers, naturally attracting butterflies, bees, and songbirds. The angel and head planter add a touch of whimsy to the garden. (via @constancesgardens / Instagram)
14. Corner Water Feature.
This beautiful garden idea creates a focal point in the corner of your home. The rocks help to form garden beds for plants to thrive, while carving the way for a trickling water feature. The water is continuously recirculated, adding soothing movement and sound to the space. Some of the plants in this garden include Boston Fern, Spider Plant, Dwarf Mondo Grass, Horsetail Rush, Creeping Jenny, Periwinkle, and Coleus. Add a brass path light to illuminate your garden when the sun goes down. (via JPM Landscapes)
15. Simple Corner Garden.
This small corner garden can be placed anywhere on your property, and this one is cleverly nestled in a corner formed by the house. You can plant colorful flowers and plants in this compact garden, or even create a small vegetable garden. Adding mulch to your garden will help suppress the weeds while looking aesthetically pleasing. You can also add garden edging to help everything stay tidy and contained. (via SOLscape, LLC)
16. Container Garden Cluster.
Group various pots in different sizes and textures for a layered, lush look in one compact corner. A built-in bench top helps to elevate some of the containers. One of the plants in the pots includes Saxifraga, an alpine plant that is challenging to grow in warmer climates. It is known for its edible, sweet-tasting flower petals. (via @ourhebehome / Instagram)
17. Corner Succulent Garden.
Add an inspiring corner garden in your front or side yard using cool vintage pots in various shapes, sizes, and colors. The pots are planted with succulents with unique colors, forms, and textures. Succulents are an excellent choice for your garden, aside from adding visual interest, they are easy to grow and drought-tolerant. (via @virgodesignsandlandscaping / Instagram)
18. Corner Garden Cedar Address Wall.
This clever garden idea is a way to create a raised corner garden bed that adds curb appeal to your front yard. The plants are called Monrovia Tasred Flax Lily Ppaf Plant. The horizontal fencing is 1″ x 6″ cedar, stained with Behr semi-transparent stain in ‘Cordovan Brown’. Behr products are sold through Home Depot. The horizontal cedar slats are anchored with Post Master steel fence posts on the back, which are covered with 1×6 to hide the posts. The house numbers are from Custom House Numbers, a great resource. They are one of the Neutra fonts in stainless steel. They measure about 8″ vertically. The wood address wall is about 5′ to 6′ long. (via Debora Carl Landscape Design)
19. Stone Face Corner Garden.
A mix of pots with various plants and flowers creates an attractive corner garden display. Similar stone garden face sculptures can be found on Etsy and eBay. The “hair” is Bird’s Nest Fern. via (@dollyhead60 / Instagram)
20. Shabby Chic Corner Garden.
This Shabby Chic corner garden of a Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island home features salvaged finds and items scavenged from the beach as garden props. Colorful planting beds will soon be in bloom in this cozy corner. (via @madaboutcolour / Instagram)
21. Corner Kitchen Garden.
This corner south-facing kitchen garden uses up all available space. Raised planter beds have several benefits for this corner garden, including weed control, improved drainage and soil quality, ease of access, and an overall tidy appearance. In this garden, peas were added to an empty corner of the strawberry bed and pak choi between the garlic. (via @scottishveggiegarden / Instagram)
22. Corner Garden Nook.
If you are short on space, a back patio can be transformed into an intimate corner garden with easy-maintenance plants. Salvaged finds are used to create this oasis, including a chair (an outdoor cushion would make this even more idyllic), pots, an old ladder, and a window box. This makes the perfect spot to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea in the mornings. TIP: You can add a mirror behind the window box to reflect light and greenery, creating the illusion of more space in your garden nook. (via Chasing Dreams / Pinterest)
23. Vertical Ladder Garden.
This stunning landscape idea recycles an old ladder. This vertical garden is perfect for a small garden. It is not only a space-saving idea, but also brings plenty of visual interest to your outdoor area. Add potted plants, including ferns and petunias, to the steps. (via Makenna Caque / Pinterest)
24. Relaxing Corner Garden.
A tucked-away corner garden can be a wonderful place to relax and unwind after a long day. This space feels like a cozy outdoor room, with a window ledge adorned with terracotta pots and a chair for lounging. The various potted plants and trees provide shade and a sense of privacy around the chair. (via Janna Schreier Garden Design)
25. Simple Garden Corner.
A large metal plant stand helps elevate this corner container garden and improve drainage. A rock border helps to define the raised garden bed. Plants include Impatiens Walleriana (vibrant red and white flowers), New Guinea Impatiens, Caladium (heart-shaped leaves), and Sago Palm (the large plant in the center background). An advantage to using containers is that they can be moved indoors in the winter, whether into your house, garage, shed, or greenhouse. They can also be moved around if they need more sun or shade. (via Brenda Townzen / Pinterest)
26. A Peaceful, Bird-Friendly Garden Nook.
This corner garden is defined by a stone border wall filled with lush plants, including Alyssum, Hostas, and Ferns. The bird bath is the focal point of this small garden, which is from Brimfield Antique Fair but is a Compania product. (via Terrascapes Landscape Design)
27. DIY Art Easel Corner Garden.
This clever DIY uses collected birch branches to form an art easel with a rustic wood frame. A flowering plant in a container spills through the frame, creating an eye-catching focal point to this corner garden. (via Momotova Lina / Pinterest)
28. A Corner Japanese Garden.
This Japanese-style garden features river rocks and large boulders. A bamboo water fountain adds a soothing and natural sound to this corner garden oasis. (via Bio Friendly Gardens)
29. White Corner Garden.
This beautiful corner garden features shrubs, white Annabelle Hydrangeas (these last a long time in a vase), and Cosmos Daisies. Mulch around the garden bed helps to protect the soil from the elements, retain moisture so you don’t have to water as much, suppress weed growth, and enhance the appearance of your garden bed. (via Maria Killam)
30. Corner Garden With Zinc Tubs.
Create an instant garden in a small corner of your yard with some zinc tubs atop pea gravel. Planted in the zinc tubs are Foxglove – Digitalis purpurea ‘Dalmatian Purple’, Foxglove – Digiplexis ‘Berry Canary’, Grain sage – Salvia farinacea, Catnip – Nepeta faassenii ‘Walkers Low’, Carnation – Dianthus campestris ‘I Love U’, Ornamental sage – Salvia nemorosa ‘New Dimension Blue’, Ornamental sage – Salvia nemorosa ‘Adrian’, and Lavender – Lavandula angustifolia.
To keep the soil light and permeable, mix in Isoself/Perlite (available in a giant bag in the building materials department; it’s actually used as insulation, but it’s naturally occurring and often found in potting soil). The zinc tubs were sourced from eBay Classifieds (tip: include a large search radius and price cap in your search and respond quickly when a new listing comes in). Drainage holes were drilled in the bottoms with a metal drill bit. (via @allotmentlover / Instagram)
31. Corner Succulent Garden.
Design a tiered succulent garden in a small corner of your home to create an attractive focal point. Succulents are low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, require minimal watering, and thrive in bright, indirect sunlight. They are perfect for beginner gardeners or those with busy lifestyles who want maximum impact with minimal effort. (via Selma Elin / Facebook)
32. Tranquil Corner Garden.
Create an attractive focal point with a corner garden featuring bubbling urns, waterfalls, LED lighting, and beautiful aquatic plants. The sound of water running softly through this lovely water feature provides a relaxing sound that inspires relaxation. (via Acorn Ponds & Waterfalls)
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