Looks lovely I slabbed and gravelled mine a few years ago as i was levelling it anyway and it was easier with the dogs. I added a bark area too for the dogs to poop in

Its amazing how quickly you can fill it up,
If i was round friends gardens and saw plants i liked i asked to take a cutting and then grew them on at home,

One thing i noticed the first year was that being Summer i had bought alot of annuals for the flower aspect & done baskets and found that Winter & early Spring the garden looked a bit bare and grey.So the following year i concentrated on getting some evergreens so the garden looked full and pretty all year round,It's looked great through the last 2 Winters although i lost a few this Winter with the prelonged cold temps.
Evergreen wise i got various Cordylines and Ferns (love ferns) which always look beautiful in pots,I have some Black grass which has a lovely patent looking sheen when it rains so they probably look better in the colder months,Hebe's worked well as i got a few different types so had different coloured flowers at different times of the year,they come in various greens leafwise too.MY bay tree stays green and comes in handy for cooking.
Others that drop their leaves in Winter that i have just because i like them are a Japanese acer,My wisteria,fushia bushes,Jasmines and a mini weeping cherry blossom,I planted a clematis in the same pot which has grown up and around the tree so early spring i have the blossom and shortly after the clematis flowers late spring then again in late summer.I also find my hanging baskets add a bit of colour through the warmer months,will see if i can dig out some pics

Bea gave me the ideal oppertunity to take a pic of the Acer this morning....with her in it lol

Found BBC website of use before-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg2...e7/index.shtml