already looks like a French courtyard only needs a bistro umbrella and some suitable music and the puppy toilet...lots of great ideas on Google but i'd also try a shallow plastic wading pool and/or kids sandpit for digging in could also be useful especially when puppies are home alone

Thank you...but i am trying to avoid it looking like a puppy toilet, and make it a part of the courtyard...the tiles are all lifting and have to be replaced, so the time is right

your tiles look perfect I would have them repaired and spend the money on new larger planters removing the small ones. As OKL said a small flat container with sand and a doggy potty around the end. Like children puppies grow quickly and won't need the sand. I wouldn't consider any real turfs in such a small space.

Thanks for all of your great comments and feedback!!...point taken on mowing, that is a definite no but I have found these at Plant Tiles - Zoysia or Dichondra - which I think could work in a raised garden bed, at about the height of a step, 200mm. I love the idea of pavers and gravel, but wonder if it will be tracked inside. I have a planter of lavender and rosemary which I would like to add to, Forte sounds lovely. I have one rose, want more, and a lot of geraniums...my weakness! Maybe larger planter boxes bordering the raised grass bed, with stepping stones?? I will need a clever builder/handy person to help with building the box and incorporating good drainage...

From experience one need larger areas for both of those ‘grasses’ to grow lush otherwise quickly become patchy unless never stepped on by human or dog. They are tender and don’t take traffic. You may find it very hard to lawn a courtyard that will get a lot of wear and tear unless expertly landscaped for all functions. A lot will depend on your climate, orientation and how the area will be used. For grass you may need a very robust grass, but that requires maintenance