Artificial grass is not maintaince free it has poor drainage qualities too what ever the suppliers say it's not maintaince free. So definitely go with grass you have down. Hire a gardener for 2 hours every fortnight up until end of October for grass cuts strimming & border work etc (once decided on design)

Hi, First of all, congratulations on your first house with a nice large garden. A few good points have been mentioned already with the screening and boundary fences. For me you need to make a wish list of what you need, would like to have, and dream of in your garden. You have already mentioned veg, and seating area. Think of a style that you like, there is also no reason to mix different styles as this is more common now like a contemporary layout and hard landscaping with a cottage flowing style of planting. I would also consider loosing that large shed, three reasons, one it looks rotten at the base, two, it's in the wrong place, and three, I think it may be far to large for what you need. Carful consideration of the sizes of the spaces for each area, like may your main patio/terrace big enough so it fits your garden furniture comfortably without you feeling like your falling into the borders and still leave room for people to walk around without tripping over things. Thinking of focal points and views through the garden. Do you need room for children to play? A garden is the largest room of your house and can be one of the most enjoyed to relax in and unwind or destress from a busy day. I would consider getting in a professional designer if not to do a full design, to at least have a consultation and walk around the garden with you to advise on solutions and possible ideas. Some designers will even do a rough sketch for you on site of how it could look, although not to an exact scale. Doing a garden is not a cheap thing, although there are thinks were you could save with the right advise. Getting it wrong by just doing a bit at a time will leave you with a garden that does not flow, better to follow a plan and do what you can when you can and afford it. That way you will end up with a beautiful space you can admire and enjoy. All the best Ian

What aspect are we talking about here? That will have a big impact on choice of plants. A climbing hydrangea on a shady section of fence could be a good option as they are self-clinging so won't need any intervention from yourself, and basically just look after themselves as long as you keep it well watered as it is getting established. Re fruit and veg in the raised beds you've built, they don't look very wide for vegetable growing. Not sure how much in the way of veg you'd get in there (though you could grow tomatoes in the summer months), but a fan-trained fruit tree on a sunny section could work well. Fruit bushes such as gooseberry and blackcurrant are also very low-maintenance, just requiring a winter prune. A thornless blackberry could be trained against the fence, which again is fairly low maintenance. You could grow strawberries under the larger fruit bushes. They are fairly tolerant of various light levels. And don't forget herbs. Rosemary and sage are very low maintenance, and thyme and oregano will spread and provide ground cover.

Hang on, wait till you get the keys! We need a lot more information before we can help so, many questions….. Which way does it face? The walls and fences surrounding it are high, how much sun does it get? Are you a gardener, do you have time to tend plants or do you want low maintenance? Are you planning to bbq and dine outside? Do you have children or pets?