The aspect is very important for a thin section of a garden. Like Pat Oliver I too would ask whether or not you use the gravel section for parking a car and agree that you also need to think about how it joins the rest of the garden. I understand that you get the sun in this area late afternoon/early evening and is a "sun trap". If you want to add some shelter you could add a pergola along a section of the site and grow some evergreen climbers, scented roses, jasmine and clematis. You could then add some seating or a dining set under the pergola for a late night meal with friends. If you plan to keep the paving slabs then think about furniture and pots that are of a similar tone to tie the area together and then use some white ones as accents to tie the area again to the house. If you remove the slabs then a gravel garden is a great idea, but you could also use composite decking boards and raise the area so that you come out of the door at the same level, and then have some steps down to the rest of the garden. Also think about setting the garden at an angle across the site, as this helps from a design point of view and results in you getting more items in to the area. Draw the area on to a piece of paper and have fun with shapes. If it is such a sun trap think about sun loving plants that are suited to arid conditions, that is why a gravel garden is such a good idea. I hope this helps. If you have any questions please get in touch. All the best and enjoy your garden. Mark

It might be fun to plant all the beds with a fairly tall species of Miscanthus (although perhaps some parts get too much shade?). That would make some impact and a nice rustling noise. I imagine if you have any small children they would enjoy going through the narrow paths, completely hidden by the grasses when they are fully grown. If you get it all very clean at the start then the only maintenance is cutting the grasses right down once a year. Perhaps move the odd palm elsewhere?

Decking is one of the cheapest options, but it doesn’t last long. Mine started to rot around the edges after 8 years, but it may do the job for a while until budget allows. Another thought is gravel contained within wooden edging. It may be a bit difficult to walk though, but again pretty cheap. With the drain cover you could cover with the gravel and then sweep it aside when access to drain is needed. With decking we actually built a hinged door over the drain within the deck. Now we have laid porcelain tiles and we had a drain cover that incorporates the tiles so it is “sort of invisible” and it can be lifted to gain access (see below). I think you idea of plant pots is a great way to tart up a concrete patio, add an outdoor rug (they are weather proof) and some garden furniture.

It would be very expensive to replace the large surface of paving slabs and a false economy as they are only in need of a good clean. Any garden does need upkeep, you should focus on sorting the out of control ivy and overgrown bushes in the borders and the overgrown slit head lavender. A visit from a qualified gardener to prune and shape and guide you on how to maintain plants going forward would be a good use of funds. A few weekends of hard graft would get things in shape and allow you to see what needs done to create the types of garden see in your inspirational images. You will need to assess the damage to the collapsed sun umbrella, the sofa cushions and bird table etc to see if any of these items are salvageable. Probably all just need a good clean. The wooden furniture needs upkeep with a good wash then once dry an oil to preserve the wood and make it look as it did when purchased. The patio will need treatment with black spot remover ( not cheap but amazingly good at its job), then a good wash with a power wash - a rotating head attachment with the internal brushes is kinder to the stone surface than the lance. You could use funds to get this done by a trade person. You may need to spend a further weekend re grouting missing grout (£10 quid bag from DIY stores ). Most of us are viewing our own patios at this time of year and getting organised for the yearly big spring clean - join in! All of your patios in the images are newly made - all will require yearly maintenance like your existing current patio. You have the bones of a fantastic professionally designed but neglected area. Don’t rush to replace, it just needs its yearly spring clean. We all need to be maintaining and fixing rather than buying and replacing to help reduce landfill and to save our hard earned cash!