Have you thought about getting some pot plants? Dotting different plants of varying heights could add a bit of depth and colour to the patio!

I was thinking whether to change the patio slabs (tiles?). I have seen a picture of something called imprinted concrete. Has anybody used this material?

would remove paving slabs and replace with paving brick to match in with low wall if the fence is yours I would replace if not possibly put bamboo screen to tidy it up. place some colourful pots with good plants around the area to give a lift

We got some nice slate from a reclamation yard, looks pretty and doesn't show the dirt really

Don't be misled that stone doesn't get dirt & lichens on - it does. We have a natural stone patio and nothing will shift the black spots (even a scrubby pressure washer). I have googled it and not much will shift it. Maybe if you owned it from new and kept it clean once a year at least, it might not be quite so prone to get the spots on.

The imprinted concrete we looked into once and unless you have a very large area to be done (or do driveway as well at the same time) they aren't really interested.

Replacing patio is nice but make sure you have the budget for it - we managed to get ours done (prob similar size) in our old house for about £3K and some other works too.

Pat Oliver Interior Design

How big is your patio and what is the style of your home. The patio is an extension of the house and your choice of material should be in keeping. For example, if you have a modern home, you might want to consider decking. If it's an older property, stone or a reproduction stone may be more in keeping.

What ever material you choose for the ground, consider the following:

• Remove the low wall so a lawn can come up to the patio or plant shrubs and perenials to divide the 2 areas.
• The fence lets things down, so replace the panels if you can. If you can't, put a screen of hurdles or reeds in front of it. Widen the border by half again and plant it up with shrubs, climbers and perennial flowering plants for softness. It looks like the border is shadowed by the house, so choose shade loving plants.
• Some potted plants, grouped together by the house wall and an appropriate style of furniture will complete the scheme.

Get digging!

I would recommend you lose the paving and have a nice pale sandstone laid, if it is sealed and kept cleaned it will not have any black dots on it, the pale colour will bring some light into the garden.

I would consider, if you cannot replace the fence panels, fronting them with trellis panels incorporating mirrors. Otherwise a row of matching pots planted with Convulvulous, Lavender and Bay Standards to add some height.

The low brick wall need to either be removed, rendered or at the very least painted white or another pale / pastel colour.

Really without further photos and a budget it is hard to advise but we work on many gardens of this size in London and there are lots of possibilities.

Regards

Chris Pawson

C P Landscapes

Thank you for all the great advice. This patio is in a house I'm buying and the patio is just one of the areas I'll need to change. I will also have to put in a new kitchen (as soon as we move in) and renovate the bathrooms. I'll need lots of advice!

Hello
This looks like a great project & can be developed gradually if on a budget, I believe a Karcher jet wash could really clean those slabs, at least try it because you will not be disappointed at the difference. Then contemplate how you go forward - decking always looks clean at first and has a definite look which would immediately brighten up the place which then also offers a platform for planters or pots. Fences can be painted to bring another clean look which lightens the area & mirrors are great to give some depth & character. Solar up lighters round the edgers will make it look sophisticated & the wall can either be painted or covered also with decking boards.
Please post a photo when you have decided - love to see a before and after!!
Kelly from Leicester

The slabs and wall look pretty dated but look at the whole garden and design it properly. Think about what you use it for, whether you're a plant person and enjoy gardening, what your budget is etc. Does that area actually get light and is it suitable for a patio?

What you do depends on the budget. For a quick fix you should pressure wash what you have and get a couple of oversized pots with big plants that add height

Not sure what your budget is, but how about a Pergola? It would look absolutely beautiful, doesn't cost a bomb to install and you could add some fast growing vines, be they flower or grape, or a mixture of both, whip the slabs up, lay a plastic membrane and then whack a couple of tons of peashingle down. To finish it off, I would remove the wall in front of the patio and replace it with some large planters containing box hedging, rosemary, or lavender. A little touch of the continent, right on your backdoor step and you won't even need to go through passport control!

Thank you again for the wonderful ideas. I can't wait to move and start putting them into practice.

BTW, best of luck with the rest of the project / DIY. It's always a bit daunting, especially if you've got to live in it whilst it's a work in progress, but I'm sure you'll soon be coming out the other side and have it looking smashing. I shall be following suit myself soon and can't wait to get cracking

Hope it all works out well for you and don't forget to post some photos of your garden once you've taken the plunge!

May the force be with you!

PS ... I know this is a garden discussion, but just thought I'd mention something as an aside ...

If you're on a bit of a budget and are thinking of going down the wooden worktop route in your kitchen, try scaffold boards instead

I sanded mine down, routered out grooves for the drainer, then sealed them with yacht varnish. They cost peanuts to buy from Jewsons, less than £15 for a 3m length!! I did all of my kitchen worktop, a large butchers block and my utility room for less than £50!!!

Here's the end result ... well a little bit of it ...

Hi Nikki. Your counter looks smashing! I'm afraid I'm not as creative as you are. I'll probably go with store bought counters ( and end up paying a lot more

HI as a landscape gardener I have a few ideas

firstly I would rebuild the wall and renew the paving with natural stone and gravel planted borders to soften the edges.

It definitely needs some potted plants, try having terracotta with fir, rosemary or lavender and add extra colour with other Spring flowering plants to keep it colourful throughout the year. Add some rose climbers in the borders to cover that fencing. Now is the best time to plant them, make sure to add bonemeal to the roots and cane the rose to help with attaching to the fence

Definitely replace the patio, but live with it for a while, until you get a feel for the house and garden, because it would be annoying to replace the patio on the footprint of the old one and then realise it's too big or too small or whatever. A lovely garden will increase the value of your house and the quality of your life, so it is worth taking the time to figure out how to achieve that.

Thank you Sandra Marshall. I had asked for advice when we were on the process of buying the property, but the sale fell through! We ended up buying another property and have been renovating it - i plan to do something with the garden next summer.