You don't state the dimensions of your patios or depth of borders. I'd have borders 1m deep at least on each side.

Hi, your design looks nice, but here are a few thoughts. 1. Definitely make you’re your borders are at least 1m deep (that should be the internal depth of using sleepers). 2.think about running these borders along/behind the patios, so you can soften all the edges of the garden with planting. Otherwise you will be looking at a lot of fence, or have to have tootsie pots which is a pain for watering. 3. I’m not sure of the value of the small patio on the left hand side. Could you use something else to draw the eye- like a pretty tree? There are lots of other ways to add interest to a garden and patios are expensive. 4. Think about height and vertical features, not just the plan. Think trees, pergola etc. Have fun though, it looks a good space!

Lots of pots....ha!

Looks a good plan but I agree with Alix that do you really need two patios at the end? I would carry the flower border on the left to the end and the back of the garden, and at the back of the patio on the right. This can be planted to create a lovely backdrop to the seating area.
With the main patio, I would leave a space either end for planting to soften the area. There are plenty of plants that enjoy shade such as Fatsia Japonica and Japanese Acers. Paving without flower borders can look very “prison yard”!
Lastly, I would stick with outdoor porcelain for a modern look, or sandstone paving for something more rustic. I was considering composite decking but after a thorough research it’s not as hard wearing as marketed, it shows wear within 10 years and starts to decompose within 20 years, whilst paving will last forever. Here’s some pics for inspiration and note the abundance of planting even with these modern gardens.

Hi all, wow thank you for the feedback. Definitely food for thought! It is so hard going

from a flat with a balcony to a real garden so the idea of plants is daunting.

I really see what you meant about taking the border behind the patio at the back so there is less fence (I hate looking at wood!) and investigating other ideas to draw the eye rather than another patio on the left. I think I will keep investigating, I want it to look nice as it is your direct line of sight from the sofa but don’t want anything too tall as it creates shade on the back right which is the only constant spot where we get sun.

In terms of the patio by the house, I may need to add interest using pots. Even though I am removing the shed we will still need some sort of bike store / shed which I will put up against the fence as I don’t want to put it at the back of the garden and use up a sunny spot.

I’ve also looked into composite decking and think I am now against that as I have read rats and mice can nest under it. We back onto a field and are currently dealing with a rat problem so don’t want to attract any more!

Next steps are to continue looking on Pinterest and incorperate these changes. Thank you :)

Looking at your plan I would say that you have too much hard landscaping in relation to planting. Do you really need all those hard landscaped areas? They are also expensive to build. Also everything seems to be pushed to the edges emphasising the rectangular shape. Maybe that's your preference. I would advise increasing the planting areas.