There is no space too small for a flower garden! If an outdoor area has soil, a source of water, and can hold small plants or potted plants, then it can be home to a little green world, blooming with color. It might be a narrow area behind the top of a low wall, or it might be a long planter box at the base of a balcony railing. I have made small gardens on strips next to sidewalks. Flowers are remarkably resilient, given some care and attention.
A tiny outdoor space lends itself to becoming a small-scale fantasy land, an enchanting habitat where fairies may reign. For a whimsical Fairy Garden, all you need are low-growing, resilient plants and imagination. In this miniature landscape, you can cover the ground with moss, creeping thyme, sedum, and Corsican mint. Annual celosia and lavender topiary can be used as trees. Small sedums work well, too. Rustic huts may be fashioned from natural materials such as driftwood. Seashells, broken pots, pine cones, and rounded stones add fun and interest.
It is fun to use small flowering plants as tiny landscape elements. A good example is sea thrift, a compact perennial that is tolerant of salt and is often applied on sidewalks and driveways in winter. It looks like a little grassy hill. The blue, furry flowers of the deer-resistant, low-growing annual floss flower (Ageratum houstonianum) can be used to emulate a blue hydrangea. Need a lawn? Add the fast-growing, blue star creeper (Isotoma fluviatilis) to form a carpet of tiny green leaves that are covered with starry, soft-blue flowers in the summer. It is ideal for planting between stones, and it is suitable for USDA hardiness zones 5–9. Or plant baby’s tears (Soleirolia soleirolii) as a dense green ground cover.
Compact, little spaces may require you to keep some plants in their pots to help them retain their size and stay small. Simply plant the container directly in the soil. Water often, because plants in pots dry out more rapidly.