I don't mind maintenance as long as I'm not pruning all the time. Budget wise probably no more than $1000 though I have no idea how much plants cost. I know hedging plants need to be spaced fairly closely. That's a good point about the formal hedge georgi02. I do love formal hedges though.

Keep an eye on your bromeliads. Now that the tree has gone, they might not like so much sun and will need to be moved. Maybe under your front window? The stone edging screams 80's, I agree with removing it or growing something to cascade over the top. Stump removal can be expensive. Maybe attack the multiple stump clump with shovels and an axe to get it below ground level. You could put a birdbath or sculpture on top of the large stump? Even a large decorative pot? Clumping bamboos grow quickly and could add some softness. I like the previous suggestion of grasses too. Good luck with it.

Hi, We are super indecisive, all we know is we want to remove the huge 6x3.5m shed and put a pergola on that concrete slab instead. Thinking of just doing concrete resurfacing on the slab floor as seems best budget wise...not sure if wise long term though and with kids... Will be doing the whole area about 20m long stopping at the chair Looking for ideas on what to do with all other areas - paving, fake grass, decking, ??? Let your imagination run wild! Thankyou!

I'll look out for it next time I'm browsing! I've found this new online company called painttint or tintpaint so I'm keen to pick something from there, though I'm trying to use up what I already bought. I let the kids go and pick about 6 different sample tins of pastel for their room thinking it would end up some sort of miami art deco vibe. But i have no idea how i'm going to integrate it all! I figure I can do some furniture and just top it with a clear coat of enamel to make it hardwearing. So far we have painted some boxes to make a dollshouse and test out the shades. I thought maybe I could make some sort of rainbow mural using painting tape, but then I found this really interesting painterly mural and my daughter loves it so I might just let them go for it and randomly paint everywhere! The kids room is the one place I'm happy to go a little bit more wild. It's entirely possible once the plywood cladding is up they will love it as is and demand I just leave it wood!