Small courtyards give you the opportunity to beautify a space within the architectural design of your home. Despite the small space, grow vegetables, herbs, ornamental plants and climbing vines can grow there. By contributing natural elements into the courtyard, you not only create a pleasing entertainment area but also can grow food and flowers for get-togethers. Does this Spark an idea?
Growing Climbing Plants
A wide range of climbing plants can be grown up the surface of the walls. Climbing plants not only contribute both flowers and produce, but also add a decorative element to the home's outside. Find out how much light filters into the courtyard. Draw a diagram of the courtyard and watch how much light each area of the courtyard receives. Most fruits and vegetables need at least six hours of sunlight. Choose a south-facing wall for growing plants that need full sun. Plants such as string beans, roses, grapes, tomatoes and herbs can grow on trellises attached to walls or netting. Decide what type of plant you want to cultivate. Attach a trellis to the wall studs of the exterior walls or hang netting. Put climbing plants in containers or into the ground, depending on the flooring. For shadier areas that get roughly four to six hours of sunlight, grow clematis, trumpet or a climbing hydrangea vine.
Coutyard Flooring
Although some courtyards have a stone or cement flooring, you can mix up hard surfaces with natural ground cover. Rather than having one set floor, grow hardy ground cover plants like clover, mother-of-thyme, candytuft or periwinkle between stone pathways. Design a path for stone flooring and create garden beds around the hardscape. To keep people from stepping on the flower beds, build them slightly raised. The textures the plants provide bring contrast with the hard floor. To keep ground cover from covering the flooring, prune back plants every few weeks. If they get stepped on, that will harm the plants. Create a flowing carpet by planting colorful ground cover next to stone floors.
Landscaping with a Theme
Use the architecture of your home as a source of inspiration for landscaping. For those that have a Mediterranean home, grow olive trees, lemon trees, grapes or Mediterranean fan palms. Themes also can be inspired by design elements of a home. Homes designed from an eclectic point of view can have a host of unusual containers planted with vibrant flowers. Unusual containers could include bathtubs, barrels or coffee cups. Allow your imagination to go wild, but make sure the containers you use have drainage holes at least half an inch in diameter. Other themes can arise out of the surroundings, such as wooded areas. Plant trees in the courtyard and watch as they grow. Transform the courtyard as a meditation area by building a zen-like rock garden and plant succulents around the stones. Stick with one theme to landscape the courtyard so it doesn't look chaotic.
