Hi Forgetful and welcome to GoY. We need a bit more info. please size, which way does it face... what would you actually like to see. A pix. of the existing garden would also be useful.

you also need to look at the big picture .are you likley to move soon.have you got children or gran children or do you want low or high maintanance .theres a few things to consider before you take your next step.

thank you for replying.There is no existing garden just grass need low maintanance as busy working and getting older

well thats the best you can have realy like a blank canvas.how about marking out a perfect circle with some string a stick and some spray paint for gardens .cut the circle out and dig whats left over int a flower bed.put in membrane round the flower bed and plant somenice smallish anuals and evergreens that can look after themselves and then put a simple water feacture dead centre in the circle.put some lawn edging around the grass circle so you dont have to tidy that up.mulch the flower bed with that broken slate and maybe use one of those drilled slate rocks for your water faecture and have a sump pump.i think that would look nice ,a bit different and low maintanance.just an idea but obvoiusly if i sore a photo it mite help more as moon grower sais.i hope thats given you an idea .take care bye for now.
ps if the water feacture is to much you could replace it with a nice statue or a realy nice shrub or weeping tree as a focal point.

thank you for the ideas

your more than welcome

if this thread is still undead, here's my pennyworth:

Grass that you intend to 'mow and forget' just won't look its beautiful best. In fact i'd never call GOOD grass a low-maintenance option.

Low shrubs are a weeding nightmare. Taller shrubs quickly make a jungle. I like jungles but there are limits.

After thirty years a gardener, two ways of covering the ground still seem to me to work:

1. grow a tree. Shade from a flowering cherry or crab will keep most weeds at bay and a closeknit perennial underplanting finishes the job. you will find which perennials grow for you without having to lift a finger from one year to the next. I find Lunaria rediviva useful just about anywhere in the country - tho still very little known.

2. For an easy and glorious riot of colour, use climbers as ground cover. My favourites are large leaved Clematis or Nasturtiums. you'll want to plant millions of them, like one to the square foot. all different colours! The clematis should live for many years with just a cut back and a bag of mulch over the roots in autumn to keep winter weeds at bay. Nasturtiums flower on through the first frosts, sow seed themselves and need nothing but a clearup and then some granular feed to get them excited in the spring. Either can be sheared to within a few inches of the ground in the summer if they would otherwise become untidy, they'll be back but neater. Experiment!