I think one of the key pieces of information here is that you don't live here yet and so might not be entirely certain how you're going to use the space. You might surprise yourself and find that you need a spot to put a chair to admire your work in the garden, for instance. It looks to me too as if the patio attached to the house gets a fair bit of shade. This is no doubt welcome in the summer, and is where you'll spend your time. But in early spring and late fall, perhaps that slab is where the first and last bit of sun finds your garden as it changes its angle in the sky, and you'll want to sit there for morning coffee. Or maybe not! Point is, wait and see. People go to huge expense to put in hard surfaces for sitting, container gardening, storage, and so on. I wouldn't remove one without trying out several ways of using it first, including your option of a flower bed, though I'd put a flower bed almost anywhere else in that yard first. You could make it look a darn sight nicer with a pattern and concrete stain; see if you can find some old postings here by Punamytsike on that subject. It might eventually strike you as a great spot to build a pergola and grow grapes or flowering vines. It could seriously enhance the view you have of your yard from your patio or your house. I think if it were mine I would buy a patio umbrella and stand, and stick it out there for your first summer. Maybe a cheap resin chair as well, and a couple of big plastic planters. And see what happens. Watch how the light and shade move across the space. See what "stuff" you end up having to deal with while living in this house and what you need space for. Then you will know how best to spend larger amounts on removal, furnishing, decorating, building, or planting it up.

Thanks Dee. Forgot about the texture. I've swept a relative's driveway and it was hard to sweep. We've had a few too many smelly and/or dusty jobs done around here (repairs mostly) and dealt with a few too many shonky operators (including the award winning #!@*! who built the house in the first place) so I'm tending back towards tiling. We've been told it could be done, just more difficult than usual, and I'm worried that the necessary adjustment would spoil the appearance. I'm also worried about the number of experts out there who tell you something is possible (or impossible) and then go back to whatever alternate universe they live in and leave you to sort out the consequences. Don't want to find out it's not going to work when we're standing out there up to our elbows in grout! Never mind, got another job for the next few weekends and when we come back to this perhaps the way ahead will seem clearer. Thanks for the info, glad yours worked out well.

I have (had) painted my stamped concrete twice now, two different colors since the original, and it comes out great and lasts a few years. It just needs to be a specific kind of outdoor paint.

The cheapest would be a powerwash and a brick scrub. Then see how you like it.