Hello howden9. That is quite a garden. I can answer a couple of your points straight off but you really need a visit (or better pictures and a ground plan) to get fuller ideas. The shaded area at the back is ideal for a composting area and the shed really does not need the sunshine. I'm assuming most light comes from the left side of your pictures, i.e. the south side. But as the cedar and poplars cast shadow across the whole width, if I understand you correctly, you could put either in any part of that area. As it is larger than needed for both, perhaps you might like to consider what else you would like to do, or have, in that area before deciding finally. Next, you need a skip. The conifers in the arch will not grow back well once trimmed into a nice shape. You may as well get rid now instead of waiting for them to prove just how ugly they can be. A rockery is not "low maintenance", a commonly held but sadly delusional belief. So they do tend to get neglected and very soon deteriorate into uncared for disrepair and eyesore. Another reason for a skip unless you can recycle all that stone. Possibly a wall or two? A raised bed or two? A pond or water feature? Stone features are beautiful. If you are anywhere within reach of North Wales, talk to Houzzer Pro Jez Young, the best stone feature builder I have ever come across. Or if you happen to be in or around West Yorkshire we would love to hear from you. If you can get it flat enough and without it being slippery, stone could even make a good patio style seating area for your "place in the sun". Your lengthiest period of sunshine, if I have grasped the garden orientation correctly, is within the right of the photos. Your seating area should go somewhere between where you stood to take the pix and to the right of where the conifer archway is now. Nearer to where you took them may help avoid the summer evening shadow from the cedar. Fruit trees are low maintenance so it is probably worth geting the health of those trees checked if you and/or your family like fruit. So don't decide anything for that space before deciding whether or not they are worth keeping. That should get you started in line with the information you have given. Are you looking to do it (or get it done) all at once or taking it a step at a time? Please keep us posted.

It's worth looking for a shed on Freecycle or in Friday Adds, there are good things going for cheap or for free because people want them removed. You produce growing area needs to look good, I think, because you are going to need to place it where it will be visible, to get enough light. It also looks like you will need to protect it well from Rabbits. They may have something to do with the uneven lawn. The most useful thing I could tell you, as you want an orchard, is to leave a large weed free area around each tree you plant. When I say weed free that includes grass!!! If you put at least 5 centimetres of good green waste compost over that and stake the tree really well, it will be well established in a few years. The best Apple tree I ever planted had a stem but no head at all and it overtook all the others in the second year. Trees need TLC rather than VISA or Mastercard.

Hello All, hope you're having a lovely Saturday - just saw Wales win their first Euro 16 match; very happy, now waiting for England. Quick update: cut the grass on a high setting following advice and did some weeding. Decided to jet wash the patio but found that my garden hose had holes in it. Had to dash, in the rain, to Poundstretcher to get a new one. I've never used a jet wash power and had a little taster. See below. Tomorrow, I hope to wash the patio properly but it's hard work. Tommy Turtle's looking a lot better and you can the slabs that I've done so far. Think I need to sweep first as the moss was flying everywhere! A little comparison, of what can be. Hopefully, I will post the results tomorrow. How is everyone getting on with their projects? Keep posting!

I live in the UK and grow various tender plants including fruit trees such as lychees, sugar apples, citrus and avocados - all in containers. At the moment they are all juvenile plants. None are near fruiting stage. Every year when the weather warms, they are brought out and then in late autumn taken into my conservatory. But just the other day I had a thought - what if I plunged these into the ground over the summer? When I say plunge, I mean leaving my plants in their pots, cutting holes on the sides of the pots, then literally plunging them into the ground outside when its warm enough. The idea would be that the roots could extend out and benefit from the better consistency in moisture and temperature in the ground. Then when it starts getting cold, I'd have to dig them up, cut the roots where they've extended out the pot - essentially root prune, and bring them back inside. Anyone have any idea whether doing the above would be beneficial at all? And if it would accelerate growth? Obviously container grown plants never reach their full potential as they are limited by the pot. Could plunging possibly counteract and make any difference?