We have a small rear garden area which is mostly occupied by an 8x6 shed which sits on a crookedly angled, but solid slab base. It’s not very nice as you can see in the photo! We originally had turf around the shed, but it was in a poor state and was often waterlogged and just looked patchy, muddy and messy. We have now skimmed off the turf, compacted the soil and put down a weed proof lining and covered the area with gravel. We have left an ‘L’ shaped border around the front of the shed and alongside the fence, the width of (fairly wide I think) which is in line with the last paving slab in front of the French doors. We were thinking of planting some border plants in there that will hopefully cover up the slabs under the shed and disguise the crooked angle of the shed base. We are total novices and just want to make the garden look neat and tidy, but with some nice border plants. We were also thinking of putting some potted plants on the gravel. We always have nice summer hanging baskets on wall brackets with troughs hanging off front of the front of the shed. These look great in summer, but after this the garden looks bare. Any help much appreciated!

Hi,
Some dwarf or semi-dwarf evergreens look nice all year. During the summer months some pots with cannas can provide some additional color, especially if you plant cannas like Pretoria, Tropicana, and some with purple foliage. The contrast in the foliage looks great and the flowers are an additional bonus.
Bob Walsh