Shed is black now and looks much better. I am deliberating on whether to paint the doors black or another colour. The planters or stands are clay and lavender, the inside of the shed is silver birch but looks grey mauve in daylight. I've started to paint the fence black too and quite like the "aged" look of the green coming through. I'm waiting for a quote on the hard landscaping and wish he'd hurry as I can only start the planting once it's agreed.

the layout and planting ideas are great, thank you. the garden is south facing, so the evening sun is on the triangular area nearest the front door. I put bamboo screening up but there's a footpath the other side of the metal fence, and it got vandalised so often that I gave up. ditto the few fence panels we had put up against the metal fence to give us some privacy. it's council and of course they refuse to erect a decent fence, or facilitate some sort of system where we pay them back in instalments. I dont expect handouts, I'd have a 6' high fence put up tomorrow if I could afford it. hiring a skip is also out of my budget, so I've gradually been taking stuff to the tip or burning it. I have kids and pets including chickens, and although I'd like to think I'll grow some veg in the raised beds, I know I'll never get round to it! the sheds: one small one is a potting shed, the other small one in the corner chicken run is storage, and the big one is supposed to be a workshop but is currently crammed with stuff that needs sorting and storing or chucking, including all my tools, garden tools, kids toys, camping stuff, etc etc. I'm sure you get the picture! there are 2 greenhouses and umpteen raised beds, stacks of bricks, wood, bits of shed panelling, old Windows etc, because my husband had lots of plabd for the garden and did loads of growing veg etc, but never got round to finishing anything. in his defence this is Wales, it rains all the bloody time, and of course there are never enough hours in the day. however, we have recently separated, so I now find myself staring in horror at the whole overwhelming project, scratching my head, wondering where the hell to start, and then closing my eyes and pretending it's not there.

I reckon Houzz should have a monthly post/ article on what to do in the garden for each month... with names of plants/ flowers, techniques, tips on seeding, propagation... Would be so useful for people like me who are not very ‘green fingered’ , but are willing to learn and enjoy their garden more!

Glad it helped. sorry I’m having a moment, do you mean you’re building a wall where the fence currently is with your neighbour? in terms of seating material as the garden isn’t wide I don’t know if I’d go for a dark’ish colour to make it feel bigger. I know this one doesn’t have storage but I like the combo with wood to add texture. If you did mean building a wall then I like the fence in the 2nd pic as an alternative. Final question, are the bamboos going into built in beds within the seating? If so, you may want to think about space available. I don’t know if they need less space than other plants but the “bed” along with the seat, table and kitchen may overwhelm the garden. It may be worth masking it out. This first pic has also reminded me of lighting!