It may be only two weeks into spring, but the liveliness of lush greenery and bright blossoms is quite a captivating sight. There is immense creativity displayed in plantings in both public and private spaces. It’s heartwarming to see how people are passionate about their green spaces. No space is too small or awkward for those determined to create beautiful areas. Container plantings of all sizes, window boxes, pots, and trees growing in unusual places greet your eye from every street corner, in sidewalks and steps.
As lovely as it is, gardening in tiny spaces has unique challenges. You have to get the design right, choose the right plants and be intentional about color coordination. While such mistakes can go unnoticed in large gardening spaces, they are conspicuous in small gardens.
13 Dos and Don’ts of City Gardening
1 Do combine complementary and contrasting colors in containers for a cottage-garden effect. It’s a great way to infuse a rich color variation in your small garden.
2 Don’t squeeze all plant varieties in your mini garden.
3 Don’t place any single plant containers at the doorstep. It looks crowded and untidy.
4 Do utilize your perimeter and sidewalk. Ripe planting ground for trees and shrubs. Just put the plants in containers.
5 To create a focal point in the bigger bottles. Just be careful that it doesn’t end up looking tacky. The foxglove is the focal point in this garden, with the slim, bare branches disappearing in the background.
6 Do plant plenty of perennials if you’re gardening on a small portion of land. They’re beautiful and need little maintenance.
Brunnera macrophylla
Siberian bugloss, botanical name Brunnera macrophylla. It favors moist, acidic soil and partial shade. Dicentra spectabilis and Pulmonaria Angustifolia. Dicentra spectabilis, also known as Bleeding Heart, and Pulmonaria Angustifolia, commonly referred to as lungwort, are examples of spring-blooming perennials. Dicentra spectabilis withers as summer approaches. Probably best to plan what to replace it in advance. A herbaceous ground cover variety that thrives in the shade. 
7 Do make a bed of plantings all around your house perimeter. Fill it with annuals, perennials, bulbs, and bushes. It beautifully enhances the landscape. Fully-blooming lilac bush carefully planted on a corner anchors the rest of the plants. Tulips, lilies, hyacinths and a couple of perennials all complement each other.
8 Don’t let evergreen material sit in window boxes during spring planting. Instead, get rid of the plant content, then add fresh soil and compost to the existing ground.
9 Do add plantings around the trees on your neighborhood. Native wildflower seeds and spring bulbs are excellent choices. An easy way to add color.
10 Do draw attention to foliage in the containers instead of flowers. Fern, heuchera, begonia, ivy, hellebore and perennial grass. It’s a simple container arrangement, but the leaf colors, variegation and shapes are breathtaking.
11 Don’t overdo it, especially on the sidewalk. It’s okay to want to portray a specific look, but too much of it becomes distasteful.
12 Don’t use annual plants in color blocks when planting a garden bed. Planting would have turned out better had it been paired with bulbs and perennials.
13 Do get involved in creating more green spaces in your community. Gardens and green areas have a positive effect on health.
I hope you can use these helpful tips. Contact Bur-Han Garden and Lawn Care today for help with your garden at 604- 706-1362.
Bur-Han Garden and Lawn Care
2110 Front St, North Vancouver, BC V7H 1A3
(604) 983-2687
