Choking hazard (unlikely?)- our grass puts up with 2 Labradors, who would pull up/dig/chew and it has survived almost 3wks now with no signs of damage at all. (I'm not sure that all products and installation are equal though - ours has metal edging with concrete plinths to reduce chance of dogs destroying it). Heat - yes we are finding it gives a little more heat, but not nearly as bad as I was imagining - ours is north facing. It's been hot the last few days, and no aircon in house, but I'm ok with it. Can be hot to walk on - so be careful & wear shoes if in full sun. It's not like that all the time though. They do caution you if there are glass panel fences... But didn't apply to us. I've certainly gotten used to ours now and loving the practicality. In fact, we are going ahead with more down the side of the house in a few weeks.

Hi everyone, I know you have laid your turf now, but for others in a similar situation, I have found that 'Paspalum vaginatum' is a fantastic alternative to the buffalo and Couch varieties. Its non invasive, very shallow root systems and takes shade and full sun. As its is highly salt tolerant, its a great cost effective alternative around swimming pools and helps keep the temperature down around the pool, so kids can run around with bare fee. It looks fantastic in summer, doesnt get woody and looks pretty good throughout the winter months. Although I have no experience with fake turf I have heard that it can get very hot and smelly, making it difficult to enjoy for little feet during the hot summer months. Hope this helps :-)

After staring at your pics a few times I think I've figured out what's bothering me. The garden bed sticks forward. If you need it for the size of plants in the ground it might work but if you're only going to have pots you can line the edge up with the wall of the house I think? What is the depth of the garden bed? Colour and placement of the pots. The pots look terracotta and the brickwork looks more reddish, is that right? It doesn't look like it goes together. Maybe you can use those pots somewhere else where they aren't right beside the brickwork and get some pots for that location which are either darker and match the trims of the house or are lighter and contrast with the house more. I think the pots need to somehow relate to the windows. If that room could use some privacy or shade you could put two pots in front of the windows. If you want to preserve the view out then you could put three pots against the brickwork. The mulch. It looks too low for the edging. (What is the edging?) The colour, like with the pots, doesn't look like it goes with the rest. I'd go black pebbles or something light in a similar hue to the stone foundation feature. Or maybe scoria?

I agree with the comments above as well. A garden with different types of grasses looks fabulous in a coastal environment. Your soil type may also impact what will grow best. I had trouble with planting out our front yard at our last property. I took a picture of the area I wanted to plant out to the local nursery and they were able to give me some really good advice of what sort of plants would survive. Also, decide what sort of garden you are after, e.g. low maintenance, native, colourful, or something you need to tend to. There are so many options, but deciding what you are after will make a huge difference in the type of plants you should get. Gallifrey your garden is beautiful, love those cute little green mounds!