Side yards are usually peripheral matters, and rather neglected, but they deserve a closer look. With a little bit of imagination, that strip of grass or gravel on the side of the house can become a charming and respectable part of your garden.

Side yards naturally do not receive the attention gardeners are willing to devote to their front yard, the public face of their garden, or to the back, their private oasis and escape. In the narrow space between one house and the next, we stash recycling bins, coil up hoses, stack bags of mulch and park our bicycles. It’s a passageway, and often a grim one.

In neighborhoods where houses are close together, a side yard is often narrow and shaded by adjacent structures. It may not be possible to plant sun-loving flowers in such a space, but there are lots of ways to make a side yard of any size a more pleasant place.

Potting station

Sometimes side yards are just that: They’re simply a space separate from the rest of the garden, leading nowhere in particular, rather like a balcony. A small space, hidden away, can be a wonderfully relaxing spot. It could also easily be put to use as a potting station. A potting table (from a garden shop, or even an old hutch from a thrift store) gives you a place to organize your tools and supplies, without stealing space in the garage or from the rest of the garden. A trash can with a lid will hold potting soil, and flowerpots stack neatly under the potting bench. A gardener in California turned his side yard into a potting alcove by getting rid of a plastic shed and installing a table and panels with slats of bamboo to hold hand tools. He recycled ordinary six-sided concrete pavers from another project, and stained them to make them look like weathered terracotta.

The view from inside

The incentive to make the side yard more attractive is much greater when you can see the space from inside the house. A bubbling fountain in a bed of dark cobbles moves the focus from a featureless fence or the neighboring house’s siding to something more lively. A gardener in Kansas City installed a wall fountain in his side yard; it doesn’t crowd the narrow space, and it definitely improves the view from his living-room window. Even a small birdbath on a pedestal, filled regularly with fresh water, will bring both birds and reflected light into a side yard, and immediately make it look more like a garden. A bench, painted to match the trim of your house, furnishes the space.

Trash and stuff

Trash has to be dealt with, but you can reduce its impact in your surroundings by building a functional but good-looking enclosure for the bins in a side yard. Plans for small sheds and enclosures are available on the Internet and are adaptable to all kinds of spaces. A sloping roof is important to keep rain and snow out of recycling bins, but doors may not be necessary.

Follow the rules

If you live in a neighborhood with a Homeowners’ Association, be sure to comply with its rules and, if necessary, get your plans approved in advance. Don’t make improvements on common areas: The board of a Raleigh townhome development ordered an owner to dismantle an attractive trellised entry to the narrow area between his home and a neighbors’ because the structure was erected on a common area, owned by the neighborhood association.

Turning a side yard into an attractive spot – or at least into a pleasant perspective, instead of letting it fill up with clutter – doesn’t take a lot of time or a big investment. The main thing is to take a fresh look: There is great potential in small spaces.

CAPTIONS AND CREDIT

WDG: Old-fashioned daylilies and hydrangeas turn a side yard into a country garden. Large flagstones set in mulch lead the way to the pretty white gate. CREDIT: Marty Ross

WDG-EXT-1: A handsome wall fountain improves the view from a window indoors, and requires little space. Wall fountains in many styles are available at water-garden shops and home-improvement stores. CREDIT: Marty Ross

WDG-EXT-2: This gardener reclaimed the space in her side yard by adding a deck, furnished simply with a table and a chair. It’s a workspace and a quiet escape, just outside sliding doors from the family room. Carefully chosen and trimmed trees and shrubs soften the space without crowding it. CREDIT: Marty Ross

WDG-EXT-3: Some side-yard spaces are too narrow for plants, but they still must be accessible. A gorgeous iron gate makes this impossibly tiny space seem grand. CREDIT: Marty Ross

WDG-EXT-4: A gate and arbor frame the entrance to a utilitarian side yard. Make sure these structures are wide and sturdy: You need enough width to roll the wheelbarrow in and out, and to come and go with flowerpots, bags of mulch and other supplies. CREDIT: Marty Ross

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