A blank canvas to play with! What fun! And the wonderful thing about gardening is that if you decide you don't like something or it's not doing well in one spot you can remove or move it very easily (except for major trees). So you can't really make a mistake. It's a very forgiving process AND so rewarding. I recently began my own garden too and was very timid at first, but as my confidence grows and I become more familiar with plants, so does my willingness to make bolder and more interesting choices. Looks like a good plan. Kind of a native wildscape to attract some desirable critters. I like all the bird and butterfly-friendly choices. And just another option that I've found is a favorite of birds is a mulberry tree (which gets to be about the size of a possumhaw (10-15 ft.). Also delicious on icecream and cereal! Also think your choices of very easily maintained xeriscaping is just great! I can't tell whether you are going to place things individually or will create an actual bed with some kind of edge to contain them. Some thoughts/ideas: Consider that Possumhaw is very similar to Yaupon Holly and both provide red/orange berries, with the main difference being that Possumhaw will lose its leaves (but maintain it's berries) over winter whereas the Yaupon would be evergreen. You may have already known that and prefer the Possumhaw, but just thought I'd mention the evergreen option as well. Either way, make sure it isn't shaded out by the larger tree, because they enjoy the sun. Have you considered any tall native grasses as a backdrop for flowers? They soften the hard edges of a yard. Also, another thing that not only attracts but keeps critters around is some kind of water feature. Doesn't have to be as fancy as a fountain (although that sound is divine and birds prefer it to stagnant water), but at least a birdbath in a somewhat shady area. The easiest fountain to maintain is a bubble fountain that overflows its container and then disappears below ground (covered usually with a grate on which sits gravel or river stones to act as a leaf/debris filter) into a reservoir and then recycles back up. Would it be possible to introduce a good sized stone/boulder or two? If you create a bed under a tree you might consider adding some turks cap for the hummers, or introduce some pigeonberry or other shade loving groundcover. If the patio is not shaded then you might also consider creating a place to sit beneath the tree that is cool and inviting or eventually a hammock chair or swing to hang from a branch. Speaking of trees, what considerations played into your choice of Ash? Just curious. Did you want a deciduos or evergreen tree? What size, color, type? Anyway, those are just some things that came to me. Our gardens can be our sanctuary (as well as a critter haven). A little piece of heaven on earth. Hope you'll keep us up on your progress and choices as you go along. And maybe some...

Well, I'm not even gardening on the same continent as you, but in my shady town garden I have a lot of green. There are hellebores, ferns, loads of spring bulbs, pulmonarias, welsh poppies, skimmia ... but it's also important in a tiny space to get the bones right. Ie the hard scape. You already have some walls, steps and beds and it would be good if you could get those nice iron columns properly vertical. I'd lose the rickety trellis and replace with something more robust. I'd also chuck the half barrel. It's clutter. The beds also need to be well cultivated and filled with a good soil mix.

Yes, photos. Pavers patterns are usually run uniformly along an axis throughout their field and are cut at the edges to accommodate curves. It's commonplace. Sometimes, the pavers are run curved. One would need to see a proposed plan in order to imagine what you might could do. Pavers are "flexible" and can be all kinds of creative. Yeah .... a flagstone path does not sound "modern."

There is a world of difference about receiving some generalized online advice and suggestions and hiring a qualified designer for an onsite consultation. One is very site and location specific and very hands-on with a qualified professional while the other tends to generate very random suggestions from anybody who cares to respond, whether or not they have any LD qualifications or knowledge of your situation. It is similar to attempting to diagnosis an illness from online sources or actually visiting a physician.