New Small Garden: Contemporary principles, planting and practice

by Noel Kingsbury, Maayke de Ridder (Photographer)

Overview

Small gardens can offer a wealth of opportunity for plants, people and wildlife, accommodating the numerous demands we make on our outdoor spaces today. 

Author Noel Kingsbury sets out to retrain the eyes of the small-garden owner so that they can adapt and improve their space. From making the best selections for your garden and exploring new ways to display plants, to explaining sustainable practices and methods to embrace biodiversity, he shows that a lack of space does not limit our ability to create exciting plant communities. 

New Small Garden contains more than 450 insightful photographs by leading lifestyle photographer Maayke de Ridder including six whole-garden case studies illustrating the design and planting principles behind successful small gardens.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781805704454
Publisher:	Frances Lincoln
Publication date:	03/10/2026
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

Dr Noel Kingsbury has been described as ‘the voice of authority with renegade undertones’. A gardener since childhood, he has designed many gardens and public spaces, run a nursery and carried out research at the University of Sheffield’s Department of Landscape. He is best known for his promotion of naturalistic planting design, but is passionate about any kind of innovation in the garden. Noel has written more than 25 books on garden matters, including four with planting designer Piet Oudolf. He lives and gardens in central Portugal.

Photographer Maayke de Ridder is a former fashion stylist with a strong sense of design and photographer several books in her native Holland.

Table of Contents

Introduction 6

1 Assessing your space

First things first 10

Looking for light 14

Going underground 16

2 Design tricks for small spaces

Visual illusions 20

Where does your garden end? 24

Thinking diagonally 26

Less isn't always more 27

Filling the space effectively 28

Interesting the feet 30

Injecting detail 31

Introducing focal points 32

Taking the gaze up 34

Combining functional spaces 35

Including sensory experiences 36

Linking the house and garden 37

Case study 38

3 Layering with plants

Nature's way 42

Structural plants 44

Sculpting with woody plants 48

Herbaceous and short-lived plants 54

The lawn 60

Visual plant layering 62

How to layer with plants 64

Naturalistic plant layering 66

Case study 72

4 Plants for small gardens

Choosing plants 78

Seasonal changes 80

Plants with staying power 82

Late-season blooms 84

Two-season plants 86

Focus on foliage 88

Using colourful leaves 90

Choosing evergreens 94

Including structure 96

Designing with grasses 101

Introducing scent 102

Cultivating the exotic look 104

Case study 106

5 Vertical planting

Climbing high 110

How plants climb 112

Right climber, right place 114

Trailing and flowing effects 118

6 Mini wildlife havens

Small sanctuaries 122

Nurturing environments 124

Providing water 126

Selecting plants for wildlife 128

Wildlife-friendly garden features 132

Case study 134

7 Sustainable small spaces

Designs for compact eco-friendly gardens 138

Managing water in urban gardens 140

Planning and planting a mini rain garden 142

Making hard surfaces porous 146

Introducing recycled and reused materials 148

8 Containers for small plots

Creative displays for containers 154

Choosing containers 156

Top container design tips 160

Container care 162

Choosing plants for pots 166

Case study 168

9 Making space for food

Creating a tiny fruit and vegetable plot 172

Types of vegetable 174

Types of fruit 176

The home vegetable-growing revolution 178

Choosing a productive site 180

Protecting crops in tiny plots 182

Case study 184

10 Plant selector

Trees 188

Shrubs 188

Sub-shrubs 192

Perennials 193

Grasses 198

Climbers 200

Bulbs 201

Designers' and Garden Contacts 202

Index 203

Acknowledgements 208

Editorial Reviews

'Packed with enticing photographs and case studies.... worth the investment even if you simply enjoy the photographs by Maayke de Ridder. They make the book glow'—The Garden

"An excellent hardback packed with useful ideas"—Garden Answers

"a book you’ll refer to time and time again"—Alan Titchmarsh, Waitrose Weekend

"A recommended read for any small garden owner"

—Gardens Illustrated

From the Publisher