Big gardening ideas for a small yard

When you have a small yard that is being used by the entire family, you want to make the most of every foot.

Consider doing the following:

• Make a list of all the uses you would like to incorporate into the space. Spray paint out the spaces you want to incorporate into your yard and live with it for a weekend to see how it feels.
  
  
• Study landscape magazines and go to bookstores to see ideas in books that help spur your creative side.
  
  
• Consult with a landscape architect about all your uses given the space you have. We often meet with clients for 2 hours, on consultation basis, to review their ideas and give them some creative direction. Sometimes it turns into a great project, and some clients decide to do it themselves!

Backyard featured in this segment:

• White Concrete pavers | Can be found at http://www.stepstoneinc.com
  
  
• White recycled glass tiles | Can be found at http://www.glasstile.com
  
  
• White dolomite granite | Can be found at http://www.lyngsogarden.com
  
  
• Blue bamboo | Can be found at http://www.bamboosourcery.com

About Shades of Green: Shades of Green is a landscape architecture studio committed to promoting sustainable landscape practices through the creation of unique and innovative spaces for people to work, live, and play. We create thoughtful and responsible landscape designs for our Clients while using our natural resources sparingly. We place great emphasis on working closely with every client and getting to know them and their style in order to deliver the best possible design solutions. By understanding our Clients needs, we can also select the most appropriate plants and materials for their garden. We always try to use native and drought tolerant plants, local materials, and even re use existing site materials in our designs. To make our designs more interesting, we combine splashes of color with different material and plant textures. Please see our website for more information about us and the projects we've been working on.
Website: www.shadesofgreenla.com