9 Contemporary Small Garden Ideas – Maximize Style With A Modern Design

Contemporary small garden ideas are all the rage. While today's gardeners are working on a smaller scale than previous generations, that doesn’t mean they must scrimp on style. After all, good things do come in small packages. Modern garden designs for small contemporary garden ideas run the gamut from space-saving to sustainable to out of the ordinary. Sometimes these modern small garden ideas even tick all the boxes in one. Here, we round up nine modern small garden ideas to help you freshen up and free up your compact plots.

Try These 9 Modern Small Garden Ideas

If you, like many of us, have a smaller gardening footprint and are looking for modern landscape designs for small spaces, we’ve got you covered. You may be dreaming of a small backyard oasis that can be a haven from the stresses of the modern world yet also be capable of capturing a modern flavor. The following small modern garden ideas can help you realize your contemporary dreams for a small-scale landscape.

1. Try a Modern Minimalist Look

Minimalism is a style defined by sparsity or simplicity. While it isn’t for everyone, its clean lines and minimal decor have the advantage of eliciting spaciousness in smaller areas while promoting harmony and balance. If you’re interested in a minimalist garden, it’s good to get a sense of some of the key visual elements.

Minimal small space gardens focus on hardscapes of natural or seemingly natural materials like steel, natural stone, concrete, or rocks. To keep the garden from feeling sterile, combine monochromatic plants like grasses, bamboo or boxwood with hardscape structures. Remember you’re going for a clean, uncluttered look so keep things simple.

2. Grow Futuristic Plants

What will the plants of the future look like? It’s anyone's guess but while we’re waiting for science to unveil the newest hybrids, there are plenty of otherworldly plants for a futuristic garden for small spaces. Some of the best modern garden ideas for small gardens will convey a sense of the unusual or out of the ordinary.

If you’re opting for that sci-fi look, look for surreal or futuristic plants with architectural forms, unusual hues like silver or blue, or flower oddities like alliums or agapanthus. Many succulents seem more at home in a galaxy that is currently far, far away, but can take your small garden to the stars and beyond.

3. Use Stylish Wooden Slats

Slats in the garden serve many purposes from screening to furniture to trellising. When used vertically, they add drama and height. When used horizontally, they open up space – two major advantages for the smaller garden.

You can incorporate wooden slats as shading structures in the form of pergolas or screens, as plant supports in the form of planters or trellises, or as seating benches or tables. Even the floor of a contemporary garden space benefits from the clean lines of wood slats used as decking material.

4. Burn Raised Beds for a Durable, Modern Finish

Japan may be one of the more modern countries on the planet, but the people still revere and use techniques that are centuries old such as shou sugi. Dating back to the Edo period, shou sugi is a wood-preserving method whereby wood is charred and then oiled.

Some structures using this wood preservation method have survived for centuries. While you may not need your raised beds to last that long, shou sugi is certainly a long-term preservation method that will allow your beds to last for decades. This makes it one of the most enduring modern garden designs for small gardens.

5. Save Space With Self-Watering Containers

Modern touches that have a practical element are especially welcome in compact gardens. Self-watering containers like those from Trudrop can help save space and retain healthy, watered plants. Their cleverly designed reservoir can go weeks without replenishing, which means you don’t have to clutter your small space with hoses or watering cans. They are 100% recyclable, available in a myriad of colors, and backed by a 10-year warranty.

6. Take Trendy Houseplants Outdoors

We love our house plants so why not bring them outside? Many modern houseplants hail from tropical to subtropical locales and will thrive in the great outdoors. A myriad of cacti and succulents thrill with their unique structures and textures indoors or out. The options for modern houseplants are endless, from hanging ivy, to swaying fern, philodendron, hibiscus, hydrangea, dracaena, amaryllis, spider plant, elephant ear, snake plant and so many more.

7. Replace Grass With Gravel

Let’s face it, grass is pretty but it’s high maintenance and not particularly environmentally friendly. A gravel yard might be a more sustainable option for you. Now hear me out, gravel isn’t inherently beautiful, but there are many decorative options available. Gravel is low maintenance, especially when a weed barrier is installed. It’s long-lasting, conserves moisture around plant roots, and prevents erosion.

Plus, it is an integral part of any xeriscape, so you can incorporate drought tolerant plants if you wish. You can’t get any simpler by laying gravel paths or a pea gravel patio. Gravel is the perfect clean, modern, minimalist material for a small garden.

8. Create a Clean Design With White Flowers

The color white just screams clean. Some might call it austere, while others can’t get over the purity and simplicity of the color. It is one of the primary colors incorporated in contemporary design, notable for its clean lines, natural material and cool tones.

To bring that contemporary feel to your small garden area, try adding white blooming flowers like hydrangea, jasmine, roses, viburnum, lilac, or lily of the valley to your landscape. Use these cool bloomers along with natural materials, simple lines, and bold statement pieces that match the aesthetic.

9. Plan for the Future, Plant Sustainably

Sustainability is a hot topic and for good reason. Our little blue planet is in need of help and sustainable gardening is one means to that end. So how can you plan your small garden to support sustainable gardening?

Use repurposed or recycled materials. Plant native plants and those that encourage and support pollinators. Grow your own food or at least some of it. Reduce or cease the use of chemical controls. Use drought-tolerant plants when possible. Incorporate rain barrels or chains into the landscape.

These are just a few ideas, but there are many more in the quest to garden more sustainably. Even if you only incorporate one, your small step will have a great impact on the health of the environment.