Hi, I also have an east facing garden! Here are some plants that work well in my garden. Sorry if the spelling is not all exact my Latin is rusty. For evergreen structure. (Large evergreen shrubs) Pittosporum tenifolium Prunus Lusitanica Elegagnus pungens manaculata Deciduous large shrubs, Viburnum plicatum maresii Syringa Charles joly Hydrangea panaculata Small trees Cratagus monogyna (good for birds) Betula pendula Smaller plants and flowers that work for me. Geranium johnsons blue Lavendula angustifolia Geum Mrs bradshaw For shady spots these work well planted together Vincor minor Ferns - Matteuccia struthiopteris Anemone honourine jobert Hope these suggestions help these are growing happily in my east facing spot. Good luck

Hi Heather, Porcelain would definitely be a good option for outdoor use as it offers a level of slip resistance that you were concerned was lacking with polished concrete. Here's a link to our outdoor range; http://www.cliftonstone.co.uk/products/outdoor-porcelain.html?limitstart=0 Something light in colour and less textured such as Massimo Blanco and Villa Blanco would give you the contemporary look you are hoping to achieve. If however you are considering a natural material, our PPX limestone has a really sleek look that has been used in a lot of our contemporary landscape projects. Here is a link to the stone on our site and a few examples of the stone in situ; http://www.cliftonstone.co.uk/products/limestone-flooring-walling-london/147/245/limestone/P-piedra-plana-extra.html If you would like to discuss any materials further, please feel free to give us a call. Best wishes and good luck with your project, Jodie

I wouldn’t go fence to fence with your artificial grass as it will make your garden look like a prison yard (sorry!). Keep the borders, however if you want raised beds then you cannot leave your current plants where they are as you cannot just add soil around them - they will suffer. I like your patio, so you could jazz it up with cushions, seat pads and lighting maybe? An outdoor rug would look nice too. I bought mine from Houzz but many online companies sell them now. Amazon do a huge range of seat pads and outdoor cushions. I can’t see your seating very well but if it’s comfortable then it would be a shame to change it, but of course that is up to you. I’m a big fan of solar lighting. They’re not as bright as mains lighting, but they do make the garden look so pretty at night without any effort. I’ve bought expensive and cheap solar lights and it was the pricey M&S one that stopped working! My other solar lights from Home Bargains and B&M are going strong. B&M have an excellent garden section.

Can I mediate? I think you're both right in a sense but perhaps both talking about different things. One issue is how dark it is, or how light the new slabs will be. That is totally separate to the actual colour. I agree that lighter slabs would really lift it, but the colour can be lots of different things, grey being just one of them. I would say a slab that works with the brick is a good idea, it could be a creamy/buff coloured slab or tile, just make sure it's light enough to make a difference.