Where is north in this photo? It looks to me as though the area in question is fairly shaded so a lot of the above options wont work if the area is on the southern side of the home, especially because of the winter shade. The space gets afternoon sun - in summer or winter? There are shadows from trees - are these deciduous or evergreen? Clay can vary enormously from being plasticine like to clay with rocks or stones in it. This will have an enormous bearing on the plants that you can use, precluding plants like westringias that require very good drainage. A plant that is as tough as old boots that will grow in both sun and shade [with some sunlight during the day] is Buxus microphylla var japonica varieties, while Aucuba japonica [Gold dust plant] or even some of the native lomandra grasses would work well. The first two can be grown as a hedge with the latter choosing a variety that you like [ there are so many], but have the plants all the same - don't mix them up. These will all grow in some shade, will grow in clay as well if it isn't too poorly drained. It does appear as though the area is sloping ever so slightly away from the house which is good. But I would steer clear of paving - unless its needed for access etc, it will look patchy and pointless - use plants instead to make your picture - its far more sustainable. Alison

I would use viburnum as they are a great hardy plant, there is the sweet viburnum , or emerald lustre or dense fence, lovely lush foliage and white flowers, need a good free draining soil and to be watered regularly, you can grow them to whatever height you like, they respond beautifully to clipping and enjoy all weathers , a slow release fertiliser during spring keeps them looking beautiful.

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There are some truly beautiful natives on the scene now. I love acacia cognata for it's lovely mounding habit and the fact it fits into nearly any style of garden. It looks lush and temperate but also flowers. Davidson plum is a native that takes up very little space but drops kilo's of fruit after a few years. If you like tart jam like rosella, and cranberry then davidson plum makes a beautiful tart jam and also a lovely steak sauce. It's very simple to grow and a distinctive looking tree. Also makes an excellent cordial. Dianella is a native strap plant that clumps and looks stunning in the variegated leaf. It's cheap and easy to find and in mass plantings looks the business. and while a coffee tree is not a native few other trees are as easy to grow and beautiful as this one. It grows to below 3 meters in a lovely dense bush shape. The leaves are deep green and glossy and it flowers with hundreds of delicate white blooms that smell like jasmine. It does not need pruning and looks good for absolutely years. If you want a lush look to your garden you can't go past a $7 K12 coffee tree that will fill a gap and look amazing. We put ours in as seedlings about 7 years ago and they are mature now. Both are beautiful shaped trees that have never been pruned and need zero maintenance or watering. They are fabulous ornamental trees that produce about 5kgs per tree of coffee beans a year. A truly worthy screening plant when you want a lush backdrop and maximum privacy. And for a waterfall effect over terraces like no other you can't go past dichondra silver falls. It's native.