City Landscaping Ideas

Containers

• If you don't have access to a courtyard or other green space, plant a container garden on your balcony, patio or rooftop. Flower options for containers are petunias, impatiens and Russian sage. If you cook, grow herbs in your outdoor space. Almost all herbs grow well in containers. Some popular herbs are parsley, rosemary and basil. Even fruits and vegetables grow in container gardens. You can have fresh strawberries and tomatoes on your table all summer. The containers must drain well so that the roots don't rot. Container gardens require plenty of watering.

Courtyard Garden

• If you have access to a courtyard or to a small garden plot, choose a few plants rather than many. If you crowd too many different types of plants into a small area, the garden will look cluttered. A small garden filled with tulips will be more attractive than the same size garden with five different types of flowers. If you want to plant more than flowers, choose a small tree. Japanese maple trees have lacy, maroon leaves that turn bright red in the fall. Some crab apple varieties produce large blooms in the spring and miniature apples in the fall.

Fountain

• If you want to landscape your outdoor space but don't have a green thumb, there are still options; consider a small fountain. There are plenty of small fountains available in home improvement stores. Most use a self-contained pump that is inserted into a container filled with water. The pump causes the water to recirculate through the fountain, so you don't need to attach plumbing to the fountain.