I love your outside entertaining area. It does need a color that would complement but give the area a focal point. I like the darker red,orange colors you may find in natural. You could dress up the table with accessories and place cushions in a complimentary color on the benches. Colored potting containers would also bring it all together. I like the uplighting here in the photo you could place along the back fence to add drama. Your area reminds me of Modern mediterranean landscaping.

Sorry I am so late coming to your site - you are an inspiration to all, homeowners and advisers alike. For your planting advice, I suggest you call Merrifield Garden Center to see if they will come out your way. They currently have wonderful garden centers in Merrifield and Fairfax (both in Fairfax County) and a new one in Gainesville, but they may come further south to wherever you reside. (www.MerrifieldGardenCenter.com) Even if they don't send designers to your area, they are worth a trip to see their huge selection for a day of pleasure and inspiration, or to pick up some plants. Most of my clients are in the Fairfax and greater Washington area, but I am currently living out west below Front Royal, VA on the Shenandoah mountainside - wonderful views. cascio.offsite@gmail.com

I would clean up first. Especially the stuff growing in the paving. Then get gardening with pot plants and start experimenting with different plants and the positions. See what you like and if you can keep it alive! Our house has the sun setting over the back fence and we've done a few inexpensive things to reduce that issue (most expensive were outdoor blinds around the verandah) but for most of the year we just don't want to be out there. It is hard work to keep the plants going in summer, there is a lot of sand due to the difficulty in keeping lawn alive and it is just bloody hot. So, that's why I'm saying clean up, start gardening small and see how you go before committing to structures that might not address the real issues you have with the yard. Just my 2 cents! :)

Hmmm, I see what you mean. There are two aspects I would focus on - the door surrounds and the garden pathway/approach. For the doorway itself (depending on how much you want to spend), you could put a small porch over the door for shelter (with a light for evening visitors). Maybe add a (wider than the doorway itself) glass or trellis surround on the RHS of the door, or add a small deck/steps (over the top of the current ones) that extends the doorway outwards and sideways and provides a sheltered platform for people to stand on while waiting for you to welcome them. The trick would be keeping it in the style of the (stucco?) house - maybe use the blue trim alongside the doorway to add visual width. The second aspect would be creating a pathway leading to the front door. I wouldn't take it in from the street but rather curve across from the driveway. Maybe large pavers spaced for walking, set into a gravel pathway, with some small outdoor lights alongside, and create a garden with small shrubs on the LHS of the door out to the edge of the path to define the pathway to the door. Or if you were going to concrete the driveway at some point, you could make some matching concrete pavers, with a rougher aggregate surface, with some extra concrete. And finally, the door... the door itself doesn't show in the picture, but after you've created the doorway, you could either get a new door (with some glass in it - more welcoming), or just repaint your current door to match your doorway - possibly in the same blue as your trim - lovely! Good luck