Try gardening - small style

You have a green thumb, and your apartment is loaded with plants. You'd like to move your efforts outside and create a garden there, but there's just no room to do so around your patio...or is there?

Many people who live in small spaces have gardens.

The trick is choosing the right plants. Here are some tips.

Space is the number one problem in small gardens. There is barely enough room, much less enough sun, to grow one or two regular-sized plants.

To create a garden in a small site, you must scale back plants and micro-garden.

To get started, do your homework and find out what plants start out small and stay that way.

Many regular-sized plants have dwarf varieties.

Stick with those and choose ones that vary in height, color and texture to create interest in your garden.

When selecting flowers, stick to perennials. You won't have the space to plant and replant.

As with any garden, make certain that the plants you choose will grow in the space you plan to put them.

Don't expect a sun-loving plant to thrive in the shade.

Here is a list of possibilities that you may want to try in your small garden:

t Blue fescue

t Blue salvia

t Butterfly blue pincushion

t Creeping gold button t Creeping thyme t Crocus t Dalmation bellflower

t Fireworks goldenrod

t Giant flowered soapwort

t Goblin blanket flower

t Golden fleece dwarf goldenrod

t Heuchera firefly t Honeysuckle t Maxmillian sunflower

t Miniature hollyhocks

t New Hampshire geranium

t Pink spice geranium t Prairie skullcap t Ruby glow t Sea pink t Silver lace

t Thrift

t Variegated bishop's weed

t Virginia creeper

t Woolly thyme

When planting, space out the plants properly.

Don't scrunch them together for a fuller effect. You will only cause the plants to compete against each other for light and air.

Pay attention to vertical spaces as well.

Vines are an excellent way to extend a small garden vertically and add impact.

These are just some tips for creating a garden in the smallest of areas.

There are many other resources available to help you, and if you have really have no suitable place for a garden, you might try creating a container garden.