You might want to consider other factors. For the design beyond what your photo shows of the patio and overhead deck. . Among them would be the views from the house out to the neighbors and also down to the garden, where you might want screening versus not blocking views, whether you'd actually prefer some tree height and shading up closer to the deck or prefer it more open, whether that patio is large enough for how you intend to use it or should be expanded, etc. Just proposing some plantings for the limited View you've posted doesn't address any of these larger issues. More photos from different viewpoints within the yard, from the deck looking out and down, and views from inside the house looking out would help give a better idea of the context. My first impression is one of being totally exposed while on that deck, no shade and no interest or potential focus within the existing bare garden.

Jeff, the level is up to you. You can level the area by increasing the amount of mortar or maintain the slope. After you have laid the thin flagstone on the concrete base, and it has dried, you will grout between the stones. Be sure to use some admix (like elmers glue) in your mortar mix so you get a good bond to the old concrete pavement. On the grassy area: You are going to remove the grass down maybe 3" and add crushed stone or granite gravel, lower than the old sidewalk and depending on the thickness of your flagstone. Now tamp it down (again leveled or slopped)and sprinkle some dry portland cement on the top. In this area you want to use a thicker flagstone and you are only going to use enough sand to level the stone. When all the stone is down mist everything so that the portland grabs onto the flagstone and the gravel. Now you are ready to grout between the stones and it will look like one continuous patio. The only place that you will need edging is where the stone is not held in by something e.g. the edge where the steps are. I've actually used the thin edging for pavers that you get at the big box stores. My step comment had to do with the blue line and the lag bolt trim pcs but if you mortar the flagstone you won't need anything special there. Bailey

Hi evaglades:0) It's just me jumping on the pH issue at this time. I am not syaing I am sure, but that it is a most common cause and along with other cultural issues, but not the fertilizers fault which stresses has those nutrients. It rather seems to me that some will blame the actual shortage of a certain element/ nutrient and suggest using it as applications when it is already provided, instead of understanding and or getting to know the actual root of the problem. It is called bandaiding and overloading. To illustrate: My Lilacs were producing no blooms for years. I was told by many, even nusery professionals that all I needed to do was add Super Phosphate and that would solve my problems. I did and that did not work. I then asked a certain friend of mine who is a horticultural expert/teacher and he asked me if I had checked the pH and I never did. Liliacs are known to love high pH soils, above 7.0 and the pH in my soil was only 5.6. I added lime as suggested and the next flowering season my lilacs blloms more than you could know for the first time and ever since. HUGE blossom all over my trees. But also, because of such a boost in the phosphate once it became available, the lilac leaves turned very light green and stunted while focusing on bud formation. Being a landscaper, I should of known this, but needed a reminder. Now all is ok. Same can be had for Fragrans Osmanthis and Hoya: They love sweet soil, and I was feeding them water and vinegar thinking it was good for them too. No blooms for years. I talked to the same friend and he said to add lime to my soil and I stopped the vinegar treatment, and boy did they take off and with blooms. It is true. In order for our plants to perform to their best potential, many keys have to come into play. I am not going to mention a great soilless mix at this time, but I will say that pH plays a major role before your fertilizer does in many instances and we should all know what our plants require in this respect as a very important factor. I got to the root of the problem with my citrus trees, many of which are described here and did not bandaid it with adding more of a certain nutrient that most likey would of been overkill. I first have to know what the pH of the water I am providing them is. I can show you green plants because of this, but I think many have already seen them, and the lack of issues many have by just adding a nutrient here and there. I no longer have to add any one particluar nutrient as long as the fertilizer is well balanced, required pH is met, and watering practices are under control. Yes, pH does play a crucial, important, and vital role to our citrus, and that is something all should check before any type of one particular nutrient is recommended/added, especially when the fertilizers being used by many here already have more than enough of the major and minor nutrients that these beautiful trees require for optimal health that many are saying their trees are deficient in. Checking pH can save a lot of time and possible undue stress on our plants with over loading with certain nutrients already available in the soil if we make teh conditions right for teh roots to have access to them. Did you kow that when our container plants sit in temps of below 50 on a continual basis, NO nutrients are taking up by our trees, especially Nitrogen and Iron/ Is someone going to suggest one spray their leaves with Iron or feed their plants with more when COLD is the limiting factor? It is very beneficial to know this, and since have a good relationship with a grower who specializes in growing Four Winds Growers trees which come to everyone very healthy and deep green, and it took a lot for me to understand this and the importance of using vinegar, lime, gypsum, acidifying products which is something I easily find enjoyable to share with many here and yet can be very detremental to our plants or make all the difference in the world. these products are not ones to be taken lightly along with our fertilizer use. It took years for me to get it right, to keep my trees from having the issues many here describe, and I feel it unfair to not address what has helped mine, or what I have learned from many knowledgable members here who took the time to help me understand this:-) Hope your trees are doing ok too. Please excuse any spelling errors, since I have no time to go back and proof read them. Have a fantastic Friday;-) Thank you Mike

If you extend the deck and it's built correctly you shouldn't have settling. That's because the deck post footers should be dug down to undisturbed soil. On a new home, that may likely mean digging down to the house footer, which if you have a full basement is a big honkin' hole. Anything less is asking for trouble. You'll have a similar issue with a raised patio, since it's a new home. Because of the way they build foundations, you have a zone of disturbed soil all around your house, 5-10 feet out. This WILL continue to settle for up to a decade (depending on your local soil). In 20+ years doing this I have come across exactly one (1) builder who compacts his backfill properly. Everyone else chucks it in the hole, runs the machine back and forth a couple times, and calls it good. So to build a raised patio we would do one of two things: 1) excavate for the full patio all the way down to disturbed soil and build back up again with gravel, and then the patio. Or 2) if you're doing a concrete patio (or stone laid over concrete) we can dig for piers or wing walls to support the patio, which is way less excavation, labor, and spoils. Anything else will settle. It's why we don't build patios next to new homes. If you do your third option, I'd be prepared to re-lay the patio at least once more after that. If you're already having settling issues the base isn't appropriate for the conditions. As for gas line location, assume it's the shortest distance between two points.