Courtyard gardens are among the most underrated outdoor spaces: they're tiny, but they have heaps of potential. That is, if you have a few courtyard garden ideas up your sleeve.
In a nutshell, courtyard gardens are surrounded by four walls, small, and often paved (so you'll need to be smart about planting and styling techniques). Many of the best small garden ideas can be applied to courtyards, and despite their size, you can turn them into a hub for warm-weather hosting.
If you're keen to spruce up your space in time for summer, here are some of my favourite courtyard garden ideas.
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A beautiful (and affordable) bistro set for a courtyard garden.
1. Make the most of container plants
All of the best courtyard garden ideas involve container plants, because it's one of the only ways to grow plants in spaces that are completely paved – and what's a garden without greenery?
The garden of Ideal Home's Best Garden 2024 winner is multi-zoned, but the section shown in the image above shows how container ideas can breathe life into a courtyard garden. The pots, brimming with flowering plants like hebes and fuchsias, are arranged around a wooden garden bench for a sense of effortless style.
Personally, I love this terracotta ruffle vase pot from Crocus. A pair of them would look gorgeous framing the entrance to a courtyard.
2. Plant climbers
Courtyards are characteristically tiny, which means there's only so much room for pots on the ground. Gardeners often choose climbing plants for an urban courtyard that bloom in the spring, summer or autumn.
Nicola and Garin's Hampshire garden, for example, features a wisteria-covered wall that's inspired by cottage garden planting schemes. It's a beautiful continuation of the container greenery below, especially when it flowers in the spring.
'I arranged some pots around the edges, and trained a wisteria over the wall to cover the bricks,' Nicola says. 'Planting around the old brick walls softens the space and makes the dining area feel extra special when we eat outdoors.'
You can follow Nicola at @thesmithinterior.
3. Build in banquette seating
You'll need to make the most of every inch of a small courtyard garden, and if you plan to host guests, strategic garden seating ideas are a must.
The owners of this multi-level courtyard garden makeover built their own banquette seating, which fits perfectly in square-shaped courtyard gardens.
'The terrace was the obvious spot, and I was keen on the idea of some outdoor sofas,' says one of the owners. 'The ones I liked were way out of our budget, but luckily for me, my husband is amazing at DIY. He designed and built the wooden bench seats to fit perfectly into the corner.'
You could even learn how to make pallet furniture, if you're keen on the idea of an upcycling project. For space-saving storage, it's worth looking at storage benches like this Keter Signature Storage Bench from Argos.
4. Upcycle a mirror
Garden mirrors are a brilliant way to trick the eye and make a small garden look bigger than it really is. They're a popular feature of courtyard garden ideas, and they look stylish, too.
'My best find was an old, discarded window frame, which we’ve turned into an outdoor mirror,' says the owner of the mirror in the multi-level courtyard garden above. 'It looks amazing on the brick wall.'
This mirror is more of a decorative feature than a huge statement piece, but to create the illusion of a bigger space, you can buy larger mirrors like this MirrorOutlet Somerley Country Arch Mirror from Robert Dyas.
5. Curate a small seating area
This level of the aforementioned courtyard garden is decked out with thoughtful garden furniture ideas.
If you've got room, a square or rectangular table set with four chairs provides the perfect dining spot for guests and the family. This Charles Bentley Acacia Hardwood 5pc Garden Furniture Set from Debenhams comes with four chairs and a table, which all fold for easy, compact storage.
A few statement cushions, seat pads and a tablecloth can personalise the arrangement and make it more comfortable.
6. Grow on the walls
If you'd prefer an arrangement of small pots on the wall over climbing plants, shelves are an excellent courtyard garden idea.
In Dorothy and James Clark's Suffolk garden, which is packed with bee-friendly plants and blooms that other pollinators love, James repurposed wooden pallets and crates into a shelving display. There's space for small terracotta pots, and the trailing ivy spills over the edges for a wilder look.
7. Invest in a mini greenhouse
Another courtyard garden idea I'm stealing from James and Dorothy's Suffolk garden is the mini greenhouse that sits beside the fence.
Mini greenhouses, like this Garden Gear Three-Tier Wooden Cold Frame from Thompson & Morgan, are ideal for growing vegetables and flowers in a small courtyard garden. They offer plenty of protection from cold weather, rain, and even some small garden plant pests, and provide ideal growing conditions for warmer-weather crops like chillies and tomatoes.
8. Don't forget about outdoor lighting
Garden lighting ideas are a bit like the icing on a cake for courtyard gardens. They'll enrich the space after dusk – and, of course, without them, you won't be able to enjoy the space when the sun goes down.
In the multi-level courtyard garden above, festoon lights act as a sort of garden zoning feature, separating the pathway from the seating area. They're perhaps the most popular type of outdoor lighting, because you can hang them almost anywhere. I rate this 4lite Festoon Outdoor String Lighting from Amazon.
There are also a few outdoor lanterns beside the banquette seating for added decoration. This Lights4fun set of 2 LED candle lanterns, which you can also order from Amazon, are solar-powered and weatherproof.
9. Cover with a pergola
In this lush multi-use garden in the leafy suburbs of Cambridge, the dining area is covered by an acacia wood pergola laced with climbing plants and festoon lights.
Pergola ideas might seem like a pie-in-the-sky idea for tiny courtyard gardens, but a smaller frame can be perfectly suitable for compact spaces. Plus, it provides even more room for greenery, since you can train climbing plants along the legs and roof.
I've got my eye on this small Leeward 2.2m x 1.7m Wood Pergola from Wayfair, which is made of natural bamboo.
10. Clad the walls
This courtyard garden idea is absolutely gorgeous. The walls are adorned with luxurious wooden cladding, hiding whatever stone or brick was there beforehand.
The metal bistro set and potted plants complete the look, and the tall plants growing against the back wall add height and structure to the planting. The owner of the courtyard has even added grey porcelain paving to lift the space.
The chairs of this green 2 seat aluminium bistro set from Crocus have a similar style to the ones in the image above.
11. Grow vegetables vertically
In the Cambridge multi-use garden I mentioned before, the owners have transformed one of the small enclosed sections of their garden into a vegetable garden.
They've used wooden raised beds to grow vegetables vertically and maximise the amount of available growing space. Beans, cordon tomatoes and courgettes are ideal candidates, while nasturtiums will happily tumble over the edge of the beds. There's even a grapevine growing along the back fence.
12. Keep things cosy with a fire pit
The outdoor living area of the Cambridge multi-use garden perfectly demonstrates how cosy a courtyard garden can become with the right styling techniques.
A fire pit provides a warm focal point for evening gatherings, and the one in the image above pairs really well with the dark patio loungers. You could even build your own fire pit if you follow the right safety guidance.
This Vonhaus 2-in-1 fire pit from Amazon includes a BBQ grill for cooking.
13. Create a Mediterranean courtyard
If Mediterranean garden ideas are your cup of tea, you're in for a treat – because so many courtyard garden ideas tie in nicely with Mediterranean garden planting and furniture schemes.
Think drought-tolerant favourites like lavender and olive trees, terracotta pots, and light-coloured landscaping. The owners of this lush Mediterranean garden makeover in south west London have designed their outdoor seating area in the shade of a large olive tree, with the gas fireplace offset by brass panelling.
14. Make planting lush and large
A tiny courtyard isn't restricted to small plants. In fact, sometimes, bold planting schemes can make the space feel more lively.
Returning to the multi-level courtyard garden makeover for inspiration, I love the lush foliage that frames the steps and seating area. The leaves spill over the borders, creating a jungle feel in an otherwise man-made space. Choosing evergreen plants for borders, if you have ground planting space, is a brilliant way to retain garden greenery all year round.
Which courtyard garden ideas are you keen to try?
