Bloom Where You’re Planted: 8 Tips for Gardening in Small Spaces & Dry Climates

By House of Folkman

Designing a flower-filled oasis in a dry climate and small backyard may sound like a challenge—but it’s entirely possible with smart planning and the right tools. My mom has spent years turning narrow, rocky spaces into lush, layered gardens bursting with color, fragrance, and pollinators. These are her tried-and-true tips for creating your own blooming paradise.

---

1. Start with the Soil

In dry climates, soil health is everything. My dad Joe began by removing rocks from our old riverbed soil and smoothing in quality topsoil. But the magic came with compost—lots of it. Compost helps aerate dense soil and improves water retention and nutrient availability.

Try this:

• Compost Starter from Jobe’s Organics
• Coco Coir Bricks (great for moisture retention)

Tip: You don’t need a truckload—just layer in compost seasonally and top off raised beds every spring.

---

2. Grow Tall for Privacy in Small Yards

When your backyard is narrow, vertical plants are your best friend. Along our back fence, we planted Cleveland flowering pear trees, which are tall and cylindrical—perfect for privacy without taking up much space

Consider these alternatives:

• Italian Cypress Trees (tall and slender)
• Privacy Trellis Panels for climbing vines

---

3. Plan for Sun and Shade

Dry climates don’t mean full sun everywhere. By layering trees, flowering bushes, and perennials, you can create shaded areas perfect for shade-loving plants. We hang baskets around the yard and fill them with:

• Impatiens
• Begonias
• Lobelia
• Coleus
• Trailing jasmine, ivy, sweet potato vine

Products we love:

• Self-Watering Hanging Baskets
• Shade-Loving Flower Seed Mix

---

4. Get Smart with Water

With 100+ degree days, your plants will struggle unless your watering is on point. We water every other day and give extra love to our hydrangeas, which tend to wilt in peak heat.

Smart watering tools:

• Programmable Drip Irrigation System
• Soaker Hoses for Flower Beds

Tip: Early morning watering minimizes evaporation and helps roots absorb moisture deeply.

---

5. Layer for Shade and Beauty

One of our prettiest spots is a stone path flanked by metal arches covered in Zephirine Drouhin Bourbon roses—thornless and incredibly fragrant. After 25 years, they still bloom beautifully each spring.

Try this:

• Garden Arches for Climbing Roses
• Zephirine Drouhin Rose (Live Plant)

---

6. Maximize Small Spaces

Between our house and driveway is a 6′ x 2′ strip. That small space is home to a climbing rose paired with drift ground cover roses—a lush floral wall in miniature.

Perfect picks for tight spaces:

• Drift Rose Live Plants (variety of colors)
• Expandable Trellis for Tight Corners

---

7. Use Drought-Tolerant Flowers

You don’t have to sacrifice color for drought resistance. These varieties thrive with less water and more heat:

• Phlox
• Petunias
• Iris
• Panicle Hydrangeas
• Salvia
• Daylilies
• Lavender
• Lantana
• Verbena
• Rose of Sharon

Seed kits & starters:

• Drought Tolerant Flower Seed Mix
• Rose of Sharon Bare Roots or Live Shrubs

---

8. Invite the Pollinators

Want a garden that’s full of life (and buzzing with bees and butterflies)? Include these blooms:

• Fuchsia
• Lantana
• Sweet Alyssum
• Canna lilies
• Catmint
• Dahlias
• Salvia
• Snapdragons

Helpful additions:

• Bee and Butterfly Attracting Flower Mix
• Insect House for Pollinators

---

Final Thoughts

You don’t need acres of space or heavy rainfall to grow something truly beautiful. With the right mix of soil prep, smart planting, and a little creative layering, any small garden in a dry climate can become a colorful retreat.

✨ What’s blooming in your backyard right now? Drop us a photo or comment—we’d love to see your dry climate garden hacks!