Garden Design

How do you design a small Dutch city garden cleverly?

By Hovenier Hoofddorp · Updated July 19, 2026

A small garden feels bigger through three design principles: create depth with a sightline (never show everything at once), use the height with climbers and layered planting, and limit materials and colours. The classic mistake is making everything small — one generous terrace and a few bold plants feel far more spacious than ten miniature features.

Which design tricks make a garden feel larger?

Diagonal lines: a path or terrace set at an angle uses the garden's longest dimension.
Two zones: a seating spot near the house and one at the far end, separated by planting — depth plus a reason to walk into the garden.
A sightline with a full stop: draw the eye to a small tree, pot or mirror at the rear.
One calm paving material in a light tone, ideally continuing the indoor floor line.
Hide the boundary: a fully visible fence measures the garden for you. Grow climbers over it and layer green in front — green has no visible edge.

What should you plant in a small garden?

One bold multi-stem tree: Amelanchier (serviceberry), Japanese maple or crab apple gives character without filling the space. Mind the 2-metre boundary rule for trees.
Vertical green: climbing hydrangea and ivy for shade walls, star jasmine and clematis for sun — see the green facade guide.
Layered borders: shrubs at the back, perennials in the middle, ground covers in front — even a 60 cm border reads as lush.
30–40% evergreen (yew, sarcococca, hellebore) keeps the garden alive in January.

How much paving versus green?

Keep hard surfacing to at most half the garden: in 40 m² that is one good 15–20 m² terrace on the best sun spot, and green for the rest. More paving makes a small garden hotter, wetter (puddles) and duller — not more practical. Space-savers that always work: a built-in bench along the boundary (storage inside), large-format tiles for calm, stepping stones instead of a full path, and the bin store behind a planted screen. We design compact city gardens from €250 — see garden design.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which tree fits a small garden?

Naturally small species (4–6 m): Amelanchier, Japanese flowering cherry, crab apple, fig, or a roof-trained plane or lime for shade without width. Multi-stem specimens look best in small spaces. Keep 2 metres from the boundary per Dutch neighbour law.

Does a dark or light fence make the garden look bigger?

Surprisingly, a dark (black or anthracite) back wall can add depth — dark recedes and pushes the green forward. Busy or brightly coloured fences shrink the space. Best of all is a planted boundary.

What does redesigning a small city garden cost?

A full makeover of a 30–50 m² garden typically runs €4,000–€10,000 depending on materials and the green-to-paving ratio. A design first (€250–€600) pays for itself because nothing gets built twice.

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