I think you have a sago in your garden already ..the one remaining plant..the other thing that looks really great in pots is mass plantings of mother in law tongues .. Not sure of proper name. Low maintenance, low water, only occasional removal of the odd dead leaf. No leaves to drop in pool. You can get different sorts, to hind the fence go for really tall ones, in long rectangular pots or mass grouping of round, get a few big pots I always think they look better than groups of little ones .. Good luck

For the patio cover, what about some retractable options? https://budgetawnings.com.au/productImages/Black21_65.jpg http://www.canopy4u.com.au/retractable-awning-patio-cover-folding-arm-grey-5-0m-x-2-5m-motorised.html?gclid=Cj0KEQjw5ti3BRD89aDFnb3SxPcBEiQAssnp0qH9AeIqM_YoaoT0P7Qj-dUwCooEPRoLaA4OH8OQSTAaAhQS8P8HAQ

on top of the other comments made - do some judicious pruning of the existing bushes and trees - particularly the larger one at the rear on the left. Making bushes and trees more compact by removing stragglers and "outliers" makes for a much neater appearance - and the total cost is a pair of pruning clippers and possibly a saw. investing in a bunnings blower/vac may also be worth while re cleaning up leaves before each home open. Legally you can trim branches overhanging from your neighbours property onto your property - but not past your boundary. any sawn off limbs do remain the property of your neighbour. Probably not a good idea to throw it back over the fence however as it may engender ill feeling. without seeing the overhanging branches - I am not saying you should chop it all down - but perhaps some removal of excess branches to reduce the amount of leaves falling onto your property. Remove all weeds, consider adding 2-3 large rocks into the garden areas - part buried to make them look as if they are natural rocks jutting out. make sure you have something to hang your garden hose on - neat and tidy is the name of the game. and make sure all your garden tools, fertilisers, etc.. are out of sight. The trick is to create the subconscious impression that the gardens are maintenance free. A lot of little things add up to a big difference. removing all cobwebs is a big plus. no one will notice the lack of cobwebs - but their presence is another story. clean/replace any corroded taps, remove any fly poo that is visible, is your roof visible? if so, clean it - get the leaves off. Chimney? repaint. polishing wood inside, cleaning windows, replacing dead or dirty light bulbs, replacing tired lampshades...etc. think of it as rejuvenation rather than renovation. make sure gutters are clean - they may need a paint or part replacing if corroded. same with downpipes. clean all accumulated dust. Repaint the low brick wall on the left under the fence - a nice fresh white - make it all "shine". I used to do landscaping/gardening - with a particular focus on helping people prepare their homes for presentation when they wished to sell. A bit of elbow grease goes a long way to bringing in the offers. fresh dark mulch can really improve a garden - ask your garden supplier which one will fade the least. Don't get anything too fine as the wind can blow it around. spend the time to first dig any edges down at least 75 mm before putting the fresh mulch on so that sand doesn't come through. think about how much preparation you want to do before each home open though. If you put down black mulch - there will be a lot of work getting leaves off it each week, otherwise it would be best to not go down that route. Ants? if so - get the ant powder out. otherwise they bring sand up and mess up the nice dark mulch. and... clean those windows again. best of luck

In Hobart you could plant the glorious virginia creeper to cover the shed and have beautiful green leaves through spring and summer, then a blaze of autumn colour, followed by the bare stems in winter, which you could highlight by painting the wall in a contrasting shade to maximise the impact of the changing seasons,; so Japanese! But if you want the lower maintenance of the rubber plant creeper walls they look good to. Both plants are self supporting creepers, but both will require a little maintenance. Love some of the shots in the above posts of example Japanese gardens! I immediately thought of the white pebbles and sleepers too, but those moss and rock islands bring back memories of Kyoto, which takes it to another level!