Urban gardens are often small, so the plants that you choose need to work hard. Instead of offering fleeting flowers, they need to look good for much of the year, with long-lasting blooms, great foliage and interesting shapes and forms. They might need to be low-maintenance, too.
Discover plants that look good all year.
The look that you choose is up to you, but in a small space, it’s best to keep your planting palette quite limited. You might think that you need to fill a small space with compact plants, but in fact, plants with a strong, architectural form will have more impact and could even make the space feel bigger.
Don’t forget that walls and fences represent good opportunties to grow climbers – and even cordon and espalier fruit trees. You might want to use plants as screens, too. For more inspiration, check out our guide to garden screening ideas.
In an urban garden you can take advantage of the warmer microclimate and grow a range less hardy plants which should come through the winter unscathed. And don’t forget wildlife – think about how you will attract birds, bees and other wildlife to your space.
Here are 12 great plants for urban gardens.
Trachelospermum jasminoides
In a small garden, you need to think about cladding walls and fences, as well as the ground. Trachelospermum jasminoides is evergreen, with scented flowers in summer – perfect for planting near a seating area. It’s slightly tender, so is well suited to the warmer microclimates of urban gardens.
- Buy Trachelospermum jasminoides from Crocus, Primrose, and Gardening Express
Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfennii
Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfennii is a great choice for an urban garden – it’s architectural and evergreen, so provides structure all year round. It bears striking, acid-yellow flowers, which go particularly well with tulips, in spring.
- Buy Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfennii from Crocus and Waitrose Garden
Phyllostachys aureosulcata
Bamboos are a great choice for urban gardens – they have a contemporary look, are low maintenance and can be used as hedges and screens. Try removing some of the lower leaves of Phyllostachys aureosulcata to show off its golden stems. Many bamboos can be particularly thuggish, so grow them in large containers to avoid them becoming garden escapees.
- Buy Phyllostachys aureosulcata from Crocus, Gardening Express, and YouGarden
- Check out our guide to garden screening
Dicksonia antarctica
Tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica) do well in shady areas such as basement stairwells and are much loved for their architectural qualities. They do well in urban areas, where they often retain their leaves over winter. To protect the crown in colder weather, cover with straw, horticultural fleece or dead fronds. Also consider shade-loving foliage plants.
- Buy Dicksonia antarctica from Crocus and Primrose
- Buy horticultural fleece from Wilko, Thompson & Morgan, Gardening Naturally, and Amazon
Hydrangea quercifolia
In a small garden, you need plants that look good in several seasons. Hydrangea quercifolia has attractive, cone-shaped flowers that last from summer into autumn, and oak-shaped leaves that have good autumn colour. Grow in sun or partial shade.
- Buy Hydrangea quercifolia from Suttons, Crocus, Thompson & Morgan, and Gardening Express
Rainbow chard
If you’re growing veg in a small space, it’s a bonus if it looks good. Rainbow chard has brightly coloured stems. You could also try the climbing French bean, ‘Cosse Violette’, which has attractive purple flowers and pods, and ‘Tumbling Tom’ tomatoes – great for a hanging basket. Or try our space-saving salad planter.
- Buy Rainbow chard seeds from Primrose, Crocus, Suttons, and Gardening Express
- Buy Rainbow chard plants from Primrose
Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’
Urban areas are less prone to frosts, which means you can leave dahlias and cannas in the ground, covered with a good layer of mulch, rather than lifting and storing them. Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ is an old favourite with a contemporary look – the red flowers are complimented by dark purple foliage.
- Buy Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ from Crocus, Thompson & Morgan, and Primrose
- Buy other dahlia varieties from Crocus, Thompson & Morgan, and Primrose
Topiary
Topiary is perfect for a small, urban garden – it gives form and structure and looks good all year round. Box is the obvious choice but can be prone to box blight and the box tree caterpillar. Yew, Ilex crenata and Lonicera nitida are good alternatives. Buy ready-grown or have a go at creating your own. For help tackling topiary, check out our reviews of the best hedge trimmers and garden shears.
- Buy yew from Gardening Express, Crocus, Thompson & Morgan, and Primrose
- Buy Ilex crenata from Gardening Express and Crocus
- Buy Lonicera nitida from Gardening Express and Thompson & Morgan
Amelanchier lamarckii
However small your garden is, you should try to fit in a tree. Amelanchier lamarckii is a lovely choice – it offers white blossom in spring followed by black berries and good autumn colour. Or go for a crab apple, which is great for wildlife. Discover more trees for small gardens.
- Buy Amelanchier lamarckii from Suttons, Primrose, and Thompson & Morgan
- Buy crab apple trees from Primrose and Gardening Express
Trained fruit trees
Stepover apples take up hardly any space – use them to edge a border, patio or veg patch. You’ll enjoy blossom in spring, and fruits in late summer. Cordon and espalier fruits are space-saving, too – grow along a sunny wall or fence, or create an espalier fruit tree screen.
- Buy apple trees from Primrose, Thompson & Morgan, Crocus and Gardening Express
Geranium ‘Orion’
Hardworking perennial plants are also key to a beautiful urban garden. Hardy geraniums flower for a long time, do well in sun or shade and go well with many other plants. If you chop them back after flowering in early summer, they should reward you with a second flush. Discover 10 hardy geraniums to grow.
- Buy Geranium ‘Orion’ from Hayloft
- Buy hardy geraniums from Crocus, Suttons, and Thompson & Morgan
Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’
Ornamental grasses give a contemporary look and help to link different plants in a border. They look good for months, even when left standing over winter. Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ is tall but doesn’t take up much room, making it ideal for an urban garden.
- Buy Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ from Crocus, Gardening Express, and Thompson & Morgan
More plants for urban gardens
- Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ – forms an evergreen clump, with flowers almost all year round. Buy Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ from Crocus
- Heuchera – great for groundcover, and in pots – the leaves come in a range of colours from dark purple to dusky orange. Buy Heuchera from Primrose
- Erigeron karvinskianus – daisy flowers for months. Spills over the edges of raised beds and pots. Buy Erigeron karvinskianus from Crocus
- Acer palmatum – great for pots, with pretty foliage that is especially stunning in winter. Buy Acer palmatum from Gardening Express
- Polystichum setiferum – an evergreen fern that’s great for a shady spot. Buy Polystichum setiferum from Waitrose Garden
