8 Lessons on Stretching a Small Yard

Borrow from your neighbors by forgoing unnecessary side fences that call attention to your lot's limits. Thanks to his unfenced front yard, Eagleton's lavish perennials merge with a flood of junipers next door, hinting that both belong to one landscape. The same trick works with trees, he says, so make sure the ones you plant don't block those visible on other properties. As you look out beyond your own branches, especially if they resemble others nearby, they'll all seem part of the same expansive picture.

Shown: A bristlecone pine and a blue spruce screen the cedar dining deck. Containers filled with summer annuals—marigolds, petunias, impatiens, and vining mandevilla—soften the corner near the potting shed, bringing colorful blossoms close enough for guests to enjoy.