Thinking of giving your garden a makeover in time for the new year? You don’t need to spend a fortune transforming your outdoor space. You can start with adding raised beds and using herb growing kits for your small size garden.

This guide outlines simple renovation ideas that will improve your garden and make it easier to maintain, too! Here, you can discover how raised beds and herb starter kits can help you redesign your little space for gardening.

8 Garden Makeover Ideas to Transform a Small Garden

A Shaded Patio

How about turning your often-neglected small side yard into a shaded patio? Clean up the space to eliminate weeds and make space for the patio furniture. You don’t need to buy an entire set of patio furniture, use pieces that you have at home you no longer use. If you’re using new patio furniture, add repurposed or salvaged items like garden ornaments, old wheelbarrows, or wooden barrels as accents. The key is to create a cozy seating space with lots of personality! Finish up by defining the walkway leading to the garden to make your shaded patio look and feel homier.

Color-Coordinated Flower Beds

Fill your garden with low-care flowering plants to make the space appear lush and beautiful. Basing a flower garden’s design on a color scheme makes the garden feel carefully planned and easy on the eyes. You can choose between contrasting or complementary colors.

For example, plant flowers with complementing blue and green or contrasting pink and green colors. In between, grow ornamental grasses to fill out empty spaces and give the appearance of fullness. We suggest adding lots of native plants to make garden maintenance more manageable. Native plants are naturally pest and disease-resistant compared to exotic plants.

Front-Yard Flower Garden

Greet your guest with a lush flower garden by transforming your bleak front yard. Remember, the front yard is the most visible area of most homes. By transforming this space into a gorgeous flower garden, you’re increasing the value of your home and adding curb appeal.

The front yard gets a lot of sunshine in the summer, so this is an excellent spot for planting flowering plants. Start by planning what different flowering plants to grow in the front yard. Choose native plants over exotics so the garden is easy to maintain. Prepare the space for planting by removing weeds and clearing unwanted debris. Amend the soil with natural fertilizer and start planting different native plants. To enhance the look of the garden further, define the walkways and pathways with flower beds.

Raised Bed + Pergola

Far from simple but this makeover idea will definitely enhance the garden’s look! Setting a pergola in a shady part of the garden and adding a raised bed teeming with flowers will add much-needed color to the space while enhancing privacy. You can plant the flowering plants directly into the raised beds or combine in-ground and potted plants in the raised bed for a more dramatic flair, then decorate the Pergola with climbing plants in a hanging basket! Finish up with a couple of patio chairs, and you’re ready to relax in your cozy green oasis.

Rainbow Fence

If your garden space lacks color, here’s a bright and sunny idea: paint the fences fun, rainbow colors! This is a perfect makeover idea, especially if you have kids and pets. Rainbow colors add instant brightness and lightheartedness to a space. This is a quick and easy project you can complete on the weekend. Finish up your newly painted garden fences with a small table and a couple of chairs with colorful cushions for a cute patio setup. Then, round up the kids to hang out outside and enjoy a bit of sun while sipping cold lemonade!

Dining Area + Pergola

Who doesn’t love dining al fresco? It’s a great way to share good food with loved ones while enjoying nature. Imagine turning your garden into an outdoor dining area with plenty of shade to keep you cool during the hot summer. This is another project that will require setting a pergola in a blank outdoor space, but the result will be worth your hard work. Under the Pergola, set up a dining table and chairs. Hang fairy lights all over the Pergola to set the mood, add a small BBQ station in a corner, and you’re ready to use this space for dinner parties or lounging.

Children’s Play Area

Getting the kids away from the screen is easy if they have a nice play area outdoors. You can turn your garden space into an outdoor play area with just a few whimsical touches. You can build a tree house or add a swinging bench in the area, then add a sandbox and a section for building blocks. You can also set up a see-saw or tire swings. Finish up with a small seating area so the kids can rest after an afternoon of play. Use potted plants to frame the play area and make the space more inviting for the kids!

A Vegetable Patch

A beautiful vegetable patch has its rustic charm while enabling you to save a lot of money on fresh produce. With a vegetable patch, you can cook healthy dishes to share with your family while enhancing the look of your outdoor space.

You can start this garden makeover idea by buying or building raised beds for different crops. You can also create plots. Prepare the space where you’ll set up the garden beds and add natural fertilizers to amend the soil. Start from seed, you can buy herb starter kits. Then transplant the seedlings into the raised beds.

Adding a tiny herb garden will complement your growing vegetable patch. Add rustic outdoor decors like aged wood barrels, tiered raised bed, plant labels, etc., to decorate the garden.

Small Garden Renovation with ECOgardener

Giving the garden a makeover will take time, but once the project has been completed, you’ll be delighted by the results. A makeover makes the space easier on the eyes and enables you to use it to its fullest. Before taking on this project, complete your gardening tools and supples for faster results. Shop here for gardening essentials and enjoy great savings!