The Big Blog Post: “How to Hide a Trash Can, Rain Barrel, Air Conditioner, and Other Unsightly Objects in a Small Garden”

How do you hide unsightly objects in a small garden, such as a trash can, rain barrel, compost bin, air conditioner, ladder, and garden hose?

In a small garden, trash cans, rain barrels, air conditioning units, or heat pumps can easily stand out—and these aren’t usually the most attractive features in your garden… There are some things you might prefer to hide in your garden. We’ll give you tips on how to hide your trash cans and keep unsightly objects out of view in your garden, without compromising their functionality. That way, you won’t have to look at unsightly trash cans, waste containers, a compost bin, a garden hose, bicycles, loose garden tools, or brightly colored plastic toys.

Go directly to:

Hide trash can
Hiding a rain barrel or water tank
Hiding Your Garden Hose
Storing Gardening Tools and Supplies
Put Outdoor Toys Away Neatly
Hiding a compost bin
Hiding the Air Conditioner or Heat Pump
Keeping Bikes Out of Sight Without a Shed
Storing a Large Ladder

How can you hide the trash cans in a small yard?

Hiding an ugly (and large) trash can in a small yard can be quite a challenge, but there are several clever ways to do this without taking up too much space.

The most common way to hide your trash cans is to build an enclosure or a special cabinet for them—for example, out of wood. Make sure the trash can can still be opened easily and removed from the enclosure without difficulty when you need to put it out on the street.

Use a (half-height) fence or screen to hide your trash can. Consider, for example, a garden screen made of natural materials such as willow twigs, reeds, or bamboo.

Plant a narrow hedge or put up a wire mesh fence and let it grow over with beautiful climbing plants. It’s the perfect way to hide your trash cans and a great excuse to add even more greenery to your garden!

Even a small (but attractive) fence around your trash cans can make a big difference.

Maybe you can put your trash cans outside the garden? That way, not only will you no longer have to look at those ugly bins, but you’ll also save a lot of space!

You can also decorate your trash can with a nice sticker. You just have to like it. Maybe a sticker with a subtle leaf pattern?

Even a simple fence helps a little to hide your trash can

containers behind a flexible screen

Photo: Esther van Tilburg

trash cans behind a wire fence

How can you make a rain barrel less noticeable?

A rain barrel or water tank isn’t exactly pretty or attractive to look at either, but it’s indispensable in our current climate. If you want to hide your rain barrel, just make sure you can still access it easily.

Hide your rain barrel by placing plants around it. Preferably choose evergreen plants, denser shrubs, or climbing plants like ivy. Just make sure no plants can grow inside your rain barrel. You can also place a pot or planter with a beautiful trailing plant on top of your rain barrel. Be sure to carefully consider the growing conditions so you choose the right plants for around your rain barrel.

You could also use a nice pot with a slightly larger plant to partially screen off your rain barrel. If you do need to access the barrel, you can easily move the pot out of the way.

Even with a rain barrel, you can use a fence, garden screen, or (narrow) hedge to hide it.

Consider painting the rain barrel a color that matches your garden or other elements in the surrounding area. Choose a natural color, such as green, brown, or gray, to help the rain barrel blend into the background.

Do you have a little space behind your shed or garden house, or maybe just outside your yard? If so, this could also be a good spot for your rain barrel. Of course, it’s important that you can easily connect it to the drain.

Of course, you can also make a deliberate choice to buy a nice rain barrel. For example, a beautiful wooden rain barrel, an oak wine barrel, or an old (but clean) oil drum. These days, there are also attractive plastic rain barrels with a wood-grain finish.

How do you hide a garden hose and irrigation system?

Hanging up and/or hiding the garden hose keeps your garden tidy. A garden hose reel is ideal for this—for example, one that mounts on the wall. This saves a lot of space in your garden and is very easy to use. Still, a garden hose—and even a hose reel—doesn’t always look great in the garden. (Why are they mostly sold in such eye-catching colors anyway?)

To keep your garden hose out of sight, consider using an in-ground or wall-mounted hose reel. Even just hanging your garden hose on the fence can be less of an eyesore—and it definitely saves space! You can also store your garden hose in a nice pot, container, or basket so it no longer looks out of place in your garden.

Garden furniture with storage space is also ideal for this kind of thing. Or you can simply tuck your garden hose under a closed bench or chair.

Of course, you can simply hide irrigation hoses and watering systems by placing them close to the ground and tucking them under vegetation or groundcover.

How to Neatly Store Your Gardening Tools and Supplies

Storing your garden tools neatly is important for keeping your garden tidy—especially in a small garden! It also helps extend the life of your tools. It’s also a good idea to store all kinds of gardening supplies and protective materials neatly.

The shed is, of course, the ideal place for all your garden tools, gardening supplies, and plant-growing equipment. With one or more shelving units, you can store a lot of tools and gardening supplies. But if you don’t have a shed, or if you’re short on space in your shed, consider a garden cabinet or storage cabinet for the yard. It can simply be placed outside and is usually tall enough to easily store your garden tools. A garden cabinet like this is lockable (and can even be secured with a lock if you have young children).

Build a tool rack. Many garden tools are perfect for hanging on a wall. With a rack on the wall, you can store quite a few tools. If you have a handy bag with lots of compartments, you can also hang it on the wall as a sort of toolbox—or tool bag, if you will.

Storing your garden tools neatly keeps your garden organized and tidy, which makes gardening more enjoyable and efficient. Choose the storage solutions that best suit the available space and the number of tools you have.

How can you tidy up outdoor toys?

Soccer balls, jump ropes, tennis rackets, Frisbees, scooters, buckets, shovels, sandbox toys… there are always toys scattered around the yard. If you have kids, you’ll definitely recognize this! Most kids also love brightly colored plastic toys. Often, you have so many of them that it’s hard to put everything away properly.

Place a large garden chest, garden baskets, or bins to store all the outdoor toys. Not only can a chest be a charming addition to your garden, but kids also love rummaging through it and picking out toys. Choose a waterproof box that isn’t too tall, so your children can easily reach inside to get something out. It might take a while to teach your children to neatly put their toys away after use, but if there’s enough space to do so, it’s definitely worth the effort!

Hang up bags or baskets, or attach bins, shelves, and brackets to the wall or fence. This way, you can create hanging storage for toys. You can hang up small bikes, skateboards, scooters, and other larger toys using sturdy brackets.

With storage boxes under your patio furniture, you can store even more outdoor toys.

child-safe yard

How to Incorporate a Compost Bin or Compost Container into Your Small Garden

Hiding a compost bin or compost container in a small yard can be tricky, but it's definitely possible:

Choose a compact compost bin or a compost barrel. There are also vertical composting systems and tower compost bins.

You can also use a fence, garden screen, or (narrow) hedge to hide your compost bin.

Hide your compost bin with plants. Preferably choose evergreen plants, dense shrubs, or climbing plants such as ivy. Just make sure no plants grow inside your compost bin. Keep in mind that, over time, the plants surrounding your compost bin will draw nutrients from your compost.

Integrate the compost bin into a multifunctional piece of garden furniture, such as a bench, planter, or garden table with a built-in composter. This way, the compost bin not only serves a functional purpose but can also be decorative.

You can hide the compost bin with a well-placed hedge.

How can you hide an air conditioner or heat pump?

Air conditioning units and heat pumps can quickly make your garden look unsightly. They’re relatively large units (especially for a small garden), and they also require plenty of open space to function properly. Still, there are ways to make these units less noticeable in your garden.

A fence or garden screen is a good option for hiding an Arico or heat pump unit. It’s important to ensure there’s sufficient ventilation so as not to obstruct airflow. Of course, you can also install a screen and let it become overgrown with climbing plants. Just make sure they don’t grow too close to the unit. You could also plant a hedge at a slight distance.

Build a wooden enclosure or a fabric screen. However, make sure this does not compromise ventilation. There are now also companies that can build such enclosures.

Place a plant in an elegant pot or container in front of the unit, or use some attractive outdoor furniture instead. You can easily move it if you need to access the unit, but you’ll no longer have to look at an unsightly heating unit or cooling system.

When concealing an air conditioning unit or heat pump, it is important to ensure that airflow is not obstructed and that the system remains easily accessible for maintenance and repairs. Therefore, choose solutions that provide adequate ventilation and can be easily removed if necessary.

Eventually, this hedge will hide the heat pump

How do you keep bikes out of sight without a shed?

Of course, a bike doesn't have to be ugly. But in a small yard, you'd rather not have them in plain sight. If you don't have a shed to store your bikes in, there are still several ways to keep them out of sight while keeping your yard tidy. Here are a few suggestions:

Set up (or build) a bike rack. Especially if you have several bikes scattered around the yard, a bike rack can make a big difference. If you’d like, you can also cover the bikes with a neat cover when you’re not using them for an extended period. Of course, you can hide the bike storage area from view with a well-placed hedge, large shrub, garden screen, or (half-height) fence.

Install a special bike storage box or garden shed for bikes. A low-profile model will prevent it from becoming too dominant a feature in your garden.

Build a mini bike shed. By lowering the area where you store your bikes, your bike will only be partially above ground, making the bike storage less noticeable in your yard. You often see this in front yards in big cities.

Is your shed full? Are you sure? With a few sturdy brackets, you can mount your bike on the wall—even vertically! That way, you’ll take up very little space. Just make sure you can remove your bike from the mount relatively easily.

How can you store a large ladder?

Hiding a staircase or ladder in the garden can be quite a challenge, but with a little creativity, you can store it discreetly while still keeping it easily accessible when you need it.

Hang your ladder on the shed or fence. That way, it takes up as little space as possible. You can also place the ladder on top of your shed or on your awning. Just make sure the structure is sturdy enough and that it’s securely fastened. And you should be able to reach it fairly easily. You could even hang a ladder under an awning, a large pergola, or from the ceiling of your shed.

Place a ladder at the back of a long flower bed. Leave a little space so the ladder can rest there comfortably. It’s best to place the ladder off the ground to help prevent rusting. A special storage cover will also help extend its lifespan. With one or a few well-placed stepping stones in the flower bed, the ladder is easy to reach.

A (double) hedge as a solution: By planting another low hedge in front of your existing hedge or fence, you essentially create a separate section for your ladder. By using the same plants as your hedge, this will be almost imperceptible from a distance. Since ladders aren’t very wide, they require relatively little space. Of course, you’ll need some length.