It is all very well for those of us with neat, light airy spaces where we can create our ideal outdoor garden, but what about others who have only a drafty side access or a utilitarian stairway — how do you create a semblance of a garden there?

Because many of these areas are initially unattractive, they can become easily neglected. But with a bit of thought and careful plant selection, they can become great garden assets. The best way to get the most out of these spaces is to decide what you need them for and be flexible about achieving it. If the space isn't large enough for a seating or dining area, at least it can create an optimistic feeling that it leads to something special — the house entrance or the main garden.

So let's look at some example areas that with a bit of creativity have become gardens in their own right — steps and stairways, passageways and side alleys, and difficult roof spaces. Lilyvilla Gardens Doorsteps

The area between private and public spaces in houses where there is no real front garden can be a lost space. It has utilitarian requirements, such as safe access to the front door for deliveries and keeping free of cover for security. But we can claim this space and use it far more constructively than just keeping it tidy with a tired, stuck-in-a-rut look.

These concrete steps and walls could overpower and dominate the entrance, but a clever use of planting not only softens the hardscape, but also creates a garden in its own right, with its own style and atmosphere. Sutton Suzuki Architects The planting alongside these steps is bold and architectual to balance the strong structual form.
Rather than the planting becoming a standard landscaper's ground cover, it provides a real sense of garden in the choice of flower and foliage. Levy Art & Architecture Again we see how easily the concrete steps and retaining wall of this space could have been a lost area and not thought of as being worth cultivating. The overhead walkway is the access to the front door of the house, while the steps lead down to its lower level — which makes this the front garden. The planting now has a dual aspect of viewing — from the bridge walkway as well as from the steps. Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design LLC Passageways and Side Alleys

It's easy to think of the side alley as just a feature that lets you get from one place to another or as a place to store bikes or the recycling bin. It can be the biggest challenge for anyone wanting to start a garden.

The alleyway can be too shady for plants, very dry due to surrounding buildings and too cluttered with the detritus of life — especially in urban settings. But for many city gardeners especially, this narrow, walled space is all there is.

This image reveals that the solution to these problems is simplicity of design. The finish of the sett paving, corrugated fencing and gray metal containers creates a unity that is then brought alive by the large specimen palms. Wyatt Studio An almost instant solution to planting in a passageway is to use trough containers such as these. They take little space but help to breathe life into what could be a sterile environment.

The use of grasses makes for an almost maintenance-free planting scheme, and also brings movement into the passageway as they move in the air currents. For those who love minimalism, this is an elegant solution to a long and potentially boring passageway.

The simple, repetitious plantings of bamboo in slate troughs are interspersed with rusty metal panels. Once again the wall color, flooring and containers all provide a sense of unity. The extra design detail is the lighting set flush between the planters, which illuminates the rusty panel and creates a great feature at night. Johnson Berman Planting needn't always be the first option in creating a garden from any available space. In this alleyway, which is almost enclosed by a roof overhang, artworks are the main point of interest. Molly Wood Garden Design Side alleyways can create useful outdoor rooms. In houses blessed with a wider side alleyway, there is more scope to create a garden with uses more than just decorative. But they can still have the same problems that side yards have, with diminished light levels and dry soils.

The clever design of this alleyway draws us to the focal point of the pergola-covered seating area, while the lush evergreen planting almost intensifies the narrow space. Once again the design is clean and simple. Southeast Studios Inc. Focal points aren't just for bigger spaces. Though this very formal traditional front garden isn't strictly an alleyway or a passageway, I think its features gives us clues on how to use evergreen planting in narrow areas.

The topiary evergreens at different heights give great structure to the space, while the bright-colored deciduous tree gives a focal point at the end of the brick pathway. In an alleyway a focal point can be essential — you need something for the eye to settle on. Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design LLC Enclosed by tall fencing and overlooked by neighboring buildings, this small space could have been neglected. Instead, it has been turned into a congenial space in which to escape outside for an evening meal or a quiet drink.

The small courtyard is surrounded by whitewashed fir walls and paved with setts separated by joints filled with native moss. The colorful planting enlivens the whole scheme. MyLandscapes Roof Spaces

A high balcony in central London is not the easiest place to set a garden, and when the space is enclosed tightly by other buildings it can add to these problems.

Landscape designer Amir Schlezinger's solution to this problem was to install 21st-century topiary — a sculpture of evergreens set next to a circular mirror pool.

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