Maybe put some flags down on the grass, put large pots on them, and fill them with tall annuals?

Thank you for this. I even had to google what annuals are! :-) Will head down to the garden centre to check for nice pots.

Hello, you could put some chunky square trellis, with a archway to the pathway, thus creating another room, clothe the trellis with various climbers, However i would decide on whether your going to have a consevatory, your garden has endless possibilities, but having a conservatory where the patio is, will mean you will possibly have another one once a new conservatory is in place and so will reduce the garden size, so carefull thought is needed before planning your garden, will the garden be used by children?julien.

Iwouldn,t buy any annuals just yet, it,s far too early to plant outside, the garden centres love to sell them to you twice, {when you go back for replacements for the ones killed by frost} better to leave it until mid may at the earliest

Thanks for the tip Derek. I will take note of that. I do worry that we'll waste money if our plants don't survive but I guess we will learn with time.

Julien, the garden will be used by our two little dogs but no children. However, you have a point as well, which is why we aren't building the conservatory this year. We still need to think carefully about the cost, as well as losing garden space since we'd put in another patio. I love arches and will definitely get one if we decide against the conservatory. I have lived in apartments most of my life so this is all a huge learning curve.

Let me know in the future if you need any help for cottage garden styles and plantings etc, can give you plenty of ideas, i was brought up in this style of gardening, and you can really achieve something nice with your garden. julien.

I would turn over the areas you mention ,level it and then more or less build it up with a layer of membrane, mulch with slate chippings,stone gravel or wood chippings from the g.centre and do whatever you want on it to suit your taste-pots with shrubs,perennials,climbers, and half hardy bedding plants later.Youll get ideas and tips on the blogs on this site.If you do change it later the pots can be transfered to other areas in the garden not such a big job.