raine1200, the only difference between a slug and a snail is the shell on the snail from what I've been taught. As far as using oak leaves as a mulch, be very careful as it takes 7 years for them to decay. We used to put the oak leaves in our garden as we have 2 neighbors with 35' oak trees who don't feel compelled to pick up the leaves in the fall so they end up in front of our house. My husband is almost fanatical to make sure every leaf is picked up so he's taken it upon himself to pick them up out of the street, and put them in our garden until he started researching why they didn't break down over the long wet winters here in the Pacifc Northwest, and found it takes 7 years for them to decay. Now they go in the green bin.

Wow that is an amazing garden and view. A pergola is a good idea to add a feature but for a more serviceable structure you could opt for a patio roof or garden roof. These aluminium roofs contain fully automated louvres so you can control whether your relaxation space is sunny of shaded depending on the day. Another plus for the UK is that these roofs become watertight when the louvres are flat so you can use your outdoor space, and appreciate that view no matter the weather. Let me know if you have any questions www.umbris,uk

While white fencing isn't for me in a back garden, I have seen loads of pics here on Houzz with white fences and, although they mostly seem to be over in the USA (let's face it - they tend to have better daylight in parts of North America than we do in the UK) I do like the look of it, though. I especially like the whitewash appearance if you're going for a Cottage Garden as it adds a weathered appeal. I went for black in my garden which looks pretty stylish, especially with the greens and whites in front of it. I used to live in a house with a roof terrace and we were advised at the time to not use white on the inside of the parapet walls as it would glare too much. The chosen option for the wall was pale grey (before it was fashionable) and it worked really well. For this reason, I wouldn't have gone for white fence or white furniture.

Hi Betty, nice to read your raised bed has been built. As I said before, drainage is essential, especially as it’s on a concrete floor. I would drill some holes near the bottom of the raised bed to allow water to escape. Then add about 2” of gravel or rubble or stones, then top with compost. You could mix the compost with some soil if you have any spare to firm it up but just compost is fine. Leaf litter turns into compost over time but I don’t think it’s essential in your raised bed. You could add some granular feed to the compost too. There’s a nice article on Gardeners World website which may help you. www.gardenersworld.com. Good luck with it all.