I always understood decorations should come down on Epiphany (6 Jan). I still have a couple of things to put away today. I love the decorations and the decorating but also really like that clean tidy feeling in January when you pack it all away. We took our LED icicle lights camping (we have a battery pack thing) when our teenage twin girls wanted a camping birthday sleep over with their friends, made for a very pretty birthday camp site and did not attract insects which was a definite bonus

LED strings of lights twisted into the frame ??? thanks since my new kitchen in small this is a great idea and i just have a great old gate as well terrific

HI Margaret Your shutters give me an idea. Go tropical! Are you allowed to paint the concrete veranda floor? Maybe green/grey as in the awning. That would go a long way to brightening the area. If you are allowed, some plants along the front of the veranda to the step would be welcoming. Can you paint the front door? Choose a cheery yellow or greyish/green as in the awning. I can't tell what the cord is on the left hand side. Can you encourage a vine to grow up there? Keep the awning 1/2 way down for a tropical attitude if it doesn't darken the interior too much. That will detract from the brickwork, which has seen better days! Then choose pots, or paint what you have, to compliment, with lots of leafy plants and maybe a comfy white cane/timber chair, if there's room. Give yourself permission to purchase a large welcome mat for the front door - something natural like coir or sisal. Have fun.

It depends on what the climate is like and the particular spot is like ie does it get harsh winds or hot sun? You could remove the grass and do a miniature clumping black bamboo as a feature plant closest to the balcony that is surrounded by a more lush understory of softer feathery leaf plants. The bamboo will draw the eye up and even provide some privacy. You can do the bamboo in pots too. Along the fence line, do some dark grasses. I'd go for dark plants to contrast with the colour of the house and fence.