7 Designer-Approved Landscaping Tips to Maximize Every Inch of Your Tiny Home's Outdoor Space

Tiny houses have been having a moment for a while now. In an age of rising housing costs, concerns about sustainability, and a desire to declutter and simplify life, small houses appeal to many. The term “tiny house” has come to encompass a lifestyle that values smaller, simpler, and more affordable homes that are larger than sheds but much smaller than the McMansions of a generation ago. Think 600 to 1,200 square feet vs. the 1,800 square feet that is currently the median home size in the United States.

Tiny houses tend to have tiny yards, so their landscaping needs to enhance instead of overpower the small dwelling and make the most of the available outdoor space. These expert tips will help you landscape around your tiny home perfectly.

1. Grow Up, Not Out

The best way to maximize small yards is to use your vertical space outdoors. This can be done with hanging plants, vine-covered trellises or walls, tall potted plants, understory trees, and stacked planters. Garden designer Laura Najman Janney owns The Inspired Garden in New Jersey and is a fan of plants that climb up a wall or tall plants, not just because they take up less space but also because they make an outdoor space private. Plants provide a shield between you and your neighbors, who may be nearby in a tiny yard.

“Vertical plants make a space feel enclosed and like a private sanctuary,” says Janney. “It makes a small outdoor space feel larger by making it a private oasis.”

2. Pick Small Plants

Choose plants that are in scale with the size of the house. “You can’t put in some big perennial or shrub into a small yard,” Janney says. “You have to be mindful of your space.” Giant shrubs and trees can visually overwhelm a tiny house and make the yard feel even smaller. Dwarf varieties of classic plants stay small even when mature. Big plants are not off limits; they just need to be used strategically. A large tree placed on the south or west side of your tiny house can provide shade and reduce cooling costs, and a single large plant can be a focal point in the landscape of a tiny house.

3. Choose Long-Blooming Plants

You don’t have a lot of outdoor space, so pack it with plants that provide color for a long time. Janney recommends planting perennials that have long blooming periods. “You don’t want something that is going to bloom for just two weeks a year,” Janney says. “You want your yard to look good for as long as possible.”  

Plants that have flowers on them for a long time include catmint, coneflowers, yarrow, and continuously blooming hydrangeas and roses. Plants with colorful foliage are also a good choice for a tiny house yard. Think coral bells, hosta, and caladium.

“You want plants that will look beautiful all the time, whether they are blooming or not,” says Janney.

4. Limit Your Color Palette

Janney advises keeping the color palette for plants simple and repetitive in small yards. “Don’t go crazy and put every color of flowers and foliage in the yard,” she says. “Too many colors look chaotic, cluttered, and overwhelming.” Limiting the color palette in the landscape around a tiny house creates a more cohesive and calming garden. “You want a harmonious look that feels intentional and well-designed instead of random or messy,” Janney says.

5. Create an Outdoor Room

Adding an area like a deck or patio that functions as an outdoor room maximizes the living area of your tiny house and connects the outdoors to the indoors. Use it for dining, lounging, or napping. It’s like putting an addition onto your tiny house.

Janney advises that you should personalize this outdoor room to your taste and make it as functional as possible. Invest in comfy seating, hang string lights to create ambience, and add plants for visual interest. “Treat the space like an actual room,” Janney says.

6. Add a Container Garden

Add a container garden to your tiny house’s yard to pack more plants into a small space. Window boxes can squeeze in more plants and tie your tiny house to the surrounding landscape. Pick containers with an eye toward design. “Choose containers that themselves add color and interest to your outdoor space, so you’re not just relying on the plants,” Janney says.

7. Think About Sustainability

Landscape a small yard in a way that goes with the tiny house aesthetic of minimalism and sustainability. Incorporate edible plants like herbs, vegetables, and dwarf fruit trees. Include plants that attract pollinators and provide habitat for wildlife. Minimize turf lawn areas and use water-wise tactics like drip irrigation, rain barrels, and mulching.