I'd suggest pavers to designate a patio space, vertical plant material to soften the fence and paver edges, groundcover rather than grass with mulch and a few stepping stones in between.

I would add a water feature in the corner. Plant some ornamental grasses, and a Japanese Maple. I would put flagstone under the pergola.

Try a combination of flagstone or pavers with small round gravel, and let the growies come. You need an evergreen vine on both front posts of that pergola, and something that will be vertical and green like columnar fig alongside / in front of the fence.

Based on the shade thrown out by the pergola, it would appear the area outside of it will create difficulty with having things grow, like grass or plants, unless it is something that will grow with partial shade. I'd recommend (on a weekend) watching the pattern of shade that the pergola creates. That way you know what areas will be in partial shade, full shade, etc. I also agree it would help with floral advice if we knew what zone or area you lived in.

I like flagstone patterned as closely as possible. You'll have to set it level so anything you use under the pergola, like furniture, won't be wobbly.

I'd also place low, long planters on the other side of the lattice, or under it, and put things with vines that grow well in your area. I like clematis, honeysuckle, climbing roses.

Not sure if you intend to keep the pergola dark brown, maybe it matches your house? But in the backyard, with that stark white fence, it really looks too dark. I know the idea is to create a partially shady area, but I think it would look better if it were white. A good outdoor paint would last a while. If you buy a "stock" color that isn't mixed, you can generally count on buying it again if you need touchups.

If you have electrical out there, I love the large clear strung bulbs hung overhead for some night time lights. It would be easy to string a few under the lattice on the roof, you can use the plastic cable ties to hold them in place. You can also simply use clear Christmas tree lights. On one or both sides of the top horizontal studs you could also use a hanging planter or two with annuals that grow in your area. Just screw in hooks.

I'd keep the garden area to the area around the fence and if you don't want any grass, use the flagstone or pavers over the rest of the area, maybe mixed in with mulch. You are going to want to lay landscaping fabric to make sure nothing grows, unless you have lived there long enough to know nothing will grow, LOL. You have a lot of privacy with the tall fence, but I might consider a tall, thin cedar in the corner, and maybe one on either side to give you some height. It will make it harder for the neighbors with the upstairs balcony to see in. You want the higher flowers/shrubs in the back, shorter in front. Whatever you buy, pay attention to the little informative "sticks" in the plant container to tell you how tall they grow. Daylillies have a lot of greenery, not sure they grow in all areas of the country though. After a while, whatever perennials you plant will probably need to be thinned out. Give away to friends and family anything that you are removing.

Carpet roses in the front of your garden come back year after year, and can be pruned to the desired height. They provide a lot of color and bloom pretty much all spring & summer. Colorful pots with annuals for the spring & summer are always good. You can buy plant stands to get different heights.

In a small space going vertical is your best friend along with multi purpose seating,storage. The fence is your friend here in that you have 20 feet of already usable easily modded vertical planter space for some small tropicals without losing much real estate on the ground. Water walls always make a small space cooler and peaceful and are also vertical and easy. use color to make the space seem bigger with an accent on the small details. You could pull this off for less than a thousand dollars. Id be happy to help.

Judging from the trees in the distance, you are in a topical. Zone where bouganvias and hibiscus would do well.

Gailbeth... This is an imaging project I did for GoPavers.com that might give you some ideas for a paved and tropical small backyard. ;-D

i suggest pavers for under the pergola. also some planter dividers (synthetic wood border) two feet around the fence. some vine to cover the fence.

A few photos and N idea book that might help. Just look it up.

how fantastic that everyone is so generous and enthusiastic - lucky gailbeth :)

With an area that small, I think putting pavers through out would keep it clean, simple and low maintenance. Then add container gardens, rather than garden beds. Choose 1 style or color of containers in various sizes to keep the look consistent. Grow vines on the pergola and use tall narrow plants like bamboo or ornamental grasses in narrow pots along the fence. Add interest by using different textured plants.

Some Bamboo along the fence line could work very well if that suits you style?

I agree the bamboo would be nice with some pavers under the gaezbo thingy....and a water fountain with a small pond in the corner would be lovely. Maybe something deep enough to have a few koi and a water plant. (if you use a water plant make sure it is contained or you will not have a pond. lol You could even put a pet turtle in there. Ok I really like animals and my entire five acres is deciated to the wildlife here and that we have an abundance of. Small hedges and I think some sod with a walking path would be nice as well.

WOW...thank you for all of the great suggestions. Much appreciated!

Hi!
Looking at the picture of your garden I think the rolling bench could be a great addition. Because you have limited space, you need furniture like the rolling bench that will offer you enough versatility. For example, if you have some friends over for lunch you can easily move it around the table to create extra sitting.

Please find below a link to the website. Let me know what you think about it.

http://www.rollingbenches.com/

Best,

Yes , what is yr style ?? Start there . What would PROnounce it to a visitor ?? If french , cafe tables & ceramics full of flowers, if Turkish ? Hang decorative lights & do a stone wall with big table with lots of candles at night ? Italian , do cypress in corners with picnic table & patio planters with herbs .