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28 bca a .com spring 2016 iStock, (bottom) Ryan Enn Hughes/cP Images U rbanites often make the ultimate tradeoff — going without a green space. But who says you can't live in a glass tower and cultivate a chic condo garden? This spring, small equals serene. Patios are pint- sized veggie patches and balconies are bountiful with jewel-toned berries. Here are five on-trend ways to maximize your small space. 1. Make a move Most of us gravitate to colour in the garden, but Janis Matson, landscape designer and owner of Shoreline Landscape Design Ltd., also likes to focus on movement "… like when you sit and hear the whisper of wind through the grass. People use bamboo for that reason." Create serenity in the city by planting Sasa bamboo, which only grows to two or three feet and can handle a little shade. 2. get green Sustainable vegetable gardening is a top trend, says Matson, who teaches courses on growing vegetables and landscape design basics at VanDusen Botanical Garden. Condo dwellers rarely need to worry about snails or slugs, so skip the tomatoes and plant gorgeous greens instead. Spinach, arugula and radicchio bring colour and texture to container gardens. Leafy chard with stems in gold, purple, deep orange and coral become design and dinner staples. And kale? It's still king and thrives in containers. 3. Bring the berry patch to your balcony Hand-gathered blueberries in your smoothie? Raspberry shortcake? Yes — and all from your urban enclave. "Blueberries do well in containers; they're bush growers," says Matson. So do native species, she says, like elderberries, Saskatoon berries, and BrazelBerries — dwarf raspberries and blueberries. Come autumn, the shrubs offer ornamental impact, with leaves turning jewel tones, like burgundy and claret. 4. go up + across The art of espalier, where trees are supported on a framework and trained to grow up and across, is elegant and eye-catching. Maximize often overlooked horizontal and vertical spaces with a mini orchard; just make sure to plant apple or pear trees that have been grafted on dwarf rootstock. 5. Watch your weight Small gardens can have gravitas, but most condos and townhouses are engineered to bear a maximum amount of weight. For permanent plantings you need a minimum of 24-inch pots says Matson, so choose lightweight poly- resin, fibreglass and zinc planters. Or go natural. "People are going back to cedar — because it's botanical." n Urban Wonders When it comes to gardening, the next big trend is small BY Janet gYenes (above) small space gardening decorated with herbs and vegetable plants; (centre) balcony garden with comfortable seated area; tending to small space gardening at home prep talk

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