Modern small gardens

I’m constantly bookmarking and organizing photos by style to serve as inspiration when I’m designing. So I thought I would do the same for you guys to give you some ideas when creating a garden. Today I’m going to show some gorgeous photos of small, Modern Style Gardens. So what exactly makes a garden modern, you ask? The modern style is all about contrasting materials. In the above photo, check out the blue/grey La Paz stones contrasting against the light wood deck, and the concrete wall and the greenery.

Modern design is also about clean, geometric lines. You’ll never see a squiggly line in these designs: if you’re going to use a curve, it’ll be based on a circle. Notice everything has clean, crisp angles in the garden above.

And when it comes to plants, notice the repeating patterns and masses of the same plants. In small areas, always plant a minimum of 3 of the same plants together.

The modern garden can sometimes be stark – but it can also feel a little cozier like the above garden. Interplanting between stones can soften a space, but make sure you keep the line ‘crisp’!

This photo taken from the Chelsea Garden Show really shows how the modern style looks fantastic in a small garden space. Hope these photos gave you some inspiration, and proved that modern gardens can look absolutely amazing in even the smallest of spaces.

Small Garden Ideas

Planting in decorative pots and planters can really help get the most from a small garden. The pots prevent the plants from growing too large and they can be easily moved around - great if the sun moves around your garden through the day. Container plants are also ideal for rented property as there's no need to dig up the garden to take them with you when you move :o)

There are also optical illusions to make a small garden feel bigger and Greenfingers have some ingenious mirrors that can look like a window or even a gate for a more spacious feel! For more ideas for small gardens, check out the advice and lovely photos from our members on this page and feel to join and ask your question if you have specific needs.

Bethlen castle, Cris (German: Kreisch, Hungarian: Keresd),

The first fortification of Cris was built in the mid-15th century by the Bethlen family. The Bethlens ware one of the most important and wealthiest families of Transylvania.

The actual Renaissance palace was built in the 16-17th centuries. One of the towers began sinking in 1910 and the family demolished it. The Bethlens lived in there until 1949. After WW2 the castle was nationalized. The furniture and other valuables were taken to several museums (part of them disappeared). The building was used as an office building of the agricultural cooperative of Cris. Several agricultural machines also were stored here. (Some villagers told me that the medieval gate was too narrow for the tractors. Because of this, the gate and the adjacent bastion were demolished. The ruins were used to fill the moat.)

Otherwise the cooperative took care of the building.

The castle was declared a national monument in the 60s. The cooperative had to evacuate the castle, which was later completely abandoned. The rest of the furniture was stolen.

Some reconstruction begun after the fall of the Communism in the 90s. The heiress of the Bethlen family claimed the building. (It wasn't easy, but the tribunal returned it to the family.)