A concrete courtyard can hold a proper garden: leafy height, something to harvest and somewhere to sit. Start with grouped containers, a clear walking route and a plan for the heat coming off the slab. Filling every spare patch with little pots usually creates more watering work than garden.

For Australian renters and townhouse gardeners, the useful question is where plants will grow well and leave the courtyard usable. The slab stays; the layout does the work.

Where should you put the plants?

Watch the space before arranging it. Check where direct sunlight lands in the morning, around midday and later in the afternoon. Notice overhead cover, neighbouring walls and which corners remain shaded. A courtyard’s compass direction is only part of the story when buildings block the sky.

Sketch the door swing, drain, tap, clothesline and route through the courtyard. Keep those working areas clear, then mark the planting pockets left over. Include the space a chair needs when someone actually sits in it.

For the direction question, the guide to reading sun and shade around buildings explains the southern-hemisphere starting point. Use your courtyard observations to refine it: a bright wall does not necessarily mean the plants at its foot receive direct sun.

How do you deal with heat from concrete?

Sunlit concrete absorbs heat and releases it after the sun moves away. A pot beside a heated wall can face warmth from several directions. Leaves may be shaded while the container itself is still baking.

Focus on the root zone as well as the canopy:

• Shade exposed pot walls. Position containers where existing afternoon shade reaches them, or use neighbouring foliage to screen their sides without crowding every leaf together.
• Avoid a collection of tiny pots. A generous volume of potting mix gives roots more room and generally buffers moisture changes better than a small container.
• Keep drainage openings clear. Suitable pot feet can provide clearance beneath a container; they do not make an exposed pot heatproof.
• Mulch the mix surface. Leave stems clear and keep a spot accessible for checking moisture beneath the mulch.

In a QLD or subtropical courtyard, make the slab and pot-wall check part of your hot-day routine. In tropical, temperate and cool districts, make the same observation when the site is hot; don’t assume a cooler regional label describes a sheltered concrete corner. This is a site check, not a planting calendar.

Which layout makes a small courtyard feel like a garden?

Choose a layout around how you use the space. These are starting arrangements, not shopping lists.

Courtyard shape or use	Try this arrangement	Leave room for
Narrow passage courtyard	Group containers along one side, with taller foliage at the far end	Walking past without brushing plants
Square sitting courtyard	Put a main planting group in a corner and a smaller group opposite	Moving chairs and reaching every pot
Courtyard viewed from indoors	Frame the view with foliage around its edges	An open centre and access to the door
Kitchen courtyard	Cluster harvest plants close to the access point with suitable light	Watering and picking without shifting furniture

Repeat a pot colour or foliage shape across the groups. Repetition makes separate containers read as one garden. A taller plant, a rounded middle layer and low foliage can give depth without lining every boundary with pots.

Keep plants back from a seat far enough that their mature spread won’t occupy it. The empty space between groups is useful garden space too.

What should grow in the containers?

Choose plants by the light you recorded, their mature size and the amount of care you can provide. Look for a permanent foliage backbone first, then leave accessible pockets for changeable plants or an edible section.

Match plants sharing a container to similar light and moisture needs. Separate pots are more forgiving when you’re still learning: a struggling plant can move without disturbing the whole arrangement.

For QLD/subtropical planting, use locally suitable choices for the measured exposure. For tropical, temperate and cool gardens, select for that zone before narrowing by courtyard conditions. A warm wall is not a reason to ignore a plant’s regional suitability. Check plant labels and local nursery guidance rather than borrowing a planting list from a courtyard photograph.

If harvests are the priority, matching edible crops to container space is the next decision. Give that section the light it needs instead of squeezing it into whatever corner remains.

How do you water without making the paving a mess?

Use containers with drainage holes and potting mix suited to the plants. Garden soil is a poor shortcut in pots: it can compact and drain poorly. Position containers so runoff has a clear route and you can inspect beneath them.

Check the mix before watering. Pots under cover can stay dry during rain, while shaded containers may still be moist when exposed ones need attention. Water the mix slowly enough for it to absorb water, then let excess drain. Empty ordinary saucers rather than leaving pots standing in runoff.

Sweep up spilled mix and fallen leaves before they collect around drains. Keep the tap reachable; an awkward watering route becomes an everyday nuisance.

How can renters keep the garden movable?

Build around separate containers and freestanding arrangements. Position large pots before filling them, and leave enough access to repot or remove individual plants later. A container described as lightweight still becomes heavy once filled and watered.

Start with one planting group and live with it before extending the garden. Notice what blocks the path, what dries quickly and what looks good from the house. Add the next group where it solves an actual gap.

For your first arrangement, use the practical small-space setup guide to work through containers, exposure and everyday access before filling the courtyard.