5 Inspirational Trends for Urban Gardens

Rewild your outdoor space with these city-savvy garden trends. From clever container gardens to wildlife friendly accessories, there are endless ways to create your very own urban oasis.

Often with limited space, light and access, urban gardens can provide a unique challenge when it comes to design. Despite this, gardeners are finding ingenious ways to transform city gardens into green pockets of paradise. We uncover some of Bristol's best gardens and get expert advice on how to make the most of your urban outdoor space.

1. Vertical gardening

Apply some lateral thinking to your outdoor space with this easy trend. As you might've guessed, vertical gardening refers to encouraging plants to trail and grow upwards, decorating your fences and walls with lush greenery. This trend is perfect for smaller, urban gardens as it doesn't require a lot of floorspace or ground soil.

A well-placed climbing plant can add colour and interest to an otherwise plain garden perimeter, and they're perfect for creating a more natural environment in enclosed terrace gardens. From a sprawling trellis to carefully arranged wall planters, you can adapt the vertical gardening to suit your style and space. 

For more planting inspiration, take a tour of garden designer Jamie Innes' Japanese-inspired garden; a true urban oasis in the heart of Bristol.

2. Welcome wildlife

Transform your garden into a haven for wildlife and help to support nature and increase biodiversity in your area. From cutting down on how often you mow your grass to introducing pollinator-friendly plants and bird feeders, there are lots of simple ways that your garden can benefit local wildlife.

Learn more about supporting nature in your garden from award-winning landscape designer Steve Williams. Steve’s ethos centres around “bringing nature back into the city” and his passion for connecting people with nature  shines through his designs.

'There’s certainly a perception that we are separate from nature, but actually, we are inherently a part of it and so are our urban spaces'

~ Steve Williams

3. Space-saving container gardens

Whether you have a balcony or luscious lawn, garden planters can bring colour, style and variety to your space. This incredibly versatile and ever-popular trend focuses on planting up containers to incorporate more greenery in your garden. Container gardening also opens up a delicious world of grown-your-own possibilities. Branch out from shrubs and flowers and try your hand at growing fruit, veg, or herbs in your planters. 

Pair container gardening with a vertical view by adorning your space with hanging baskets and planters. Varying the height of your planters will add depth and interest to your space, creating a more natural and organic arrangement. 

4. Indoor/outdoor living

An ever-enduring trend, indoor/outdoor living sees outside space as an extension of your home. Alfresco dining spaces are a staple of this trend, particularly when your kitchen opens out onto the garden creating a seamless transition between the two spaces. If you have a little more room to play with, you could incorporate an outdoor kitchen area complete with worktop space ready for those summer BBQs. Smaller gardens can also be wonderful entertaining spaces. From pizza ovens to bucket BBQs, there are lots of space-saving alternatives to the iconic Big Green Egg that are perfect for garden parties. 

Warm up your outside space with some decorative garden accessories. From mirrors to rugs, it's never been easier to find versatile homewares that can be used inside and out. 

Following the rise in flexible working following COVID-19, garden rooms are being increasingly popular solutions for home offices and studios. The ultimate in indoor/outdoor living, these clever spaces offer additional square feet without having the need for costly and lengthy building work.

5. Refresh with colour

Embrace colour in your outdoor space and breathe new life into your garden with a lick of paint. Plants bring their own colour and vibrancy to a garden, but colourful walls, furniture and accessories can elevate your outdoor space with added style. 

Forego a traditional wooden garden furniture set and choose pieces with a pop of colour to modernise your garden. Make a feature of your surrounding wall or fence by painting it in a bright, lively shade of Little Greene paint. With leading paint brands, including Lick and Coat, offering exterior versions of their signature shades, you can now bring your interior colour palette outdoors.

Proudly Bristol-based, we can't talk about colour without mentioning murals. The home of UK street art, Bristol is adorned with impressive murals that transforms the cityscape with colour. Get creative and add a simple mural to your garden wall full of individuality. Not sure where to start? Check out our interview with local artist and self-confessed colour addict Molly Mural.