What flowers and shrubs should I plant?

Before I begin Im not a good DIYer and Im an even worse gardener so this is all a bit daunting for me and Im already way out of my comfort zone with what I have done so far!

When I moved in my garden looked like this:



Not being very good at these things I employed a contractor to overhaul my garden and got left with:



After many months of wrangling I got most of my money back, lost faith in professionals and decided to have a go myself! One deck, some paving and a summer house later and I ended up with:



Its not perfect but its my own work and Im actually dead proud of what I have done though Im sure its not hard to spot lots of things I did wrong!

I have three projects for this year - one is sort something out for the manhole cover, one is solving my cat problem and the other is flowers and shrubs. Last year I put a few basic shrubs and things in to brighten the garden up but this year I want to go the whole way and really do it right but I know nothing about plants so am hoping for some advice

Basically I have three areas of planting. One Im happy with and the others Im not so am looking for guidance for them.

First the happy area - these have really come on well since the pics were taken, look really good and provide a natural barrier to force people to walk via the deck so am happy with them:



Area two is the front of the deck - I want something really colourful and bright for here and which fill the area. The garden is southfacing and that area gets brilliant sunlight all day long:



Final area is either side of the summerhouse - the first problem here is that its quite shaded apart from a few hours a day when it gets the sun for a short time. The other problem is cats use the "wall" behind as a way of getting up into the waste ground behind and all the plants on the right hand side of the photo are totally destroyed and knocked down by the buggers!

Im looking for something colourful again but also maybe layered with something hardy, large and low maintenance at the back left corner then something medium size but still quite low maintenance in the middle with a front layer of really colourful and bright flowers which I dont mind having to maintain as they are easy to get at.



If anyone is still here after all the above can anyone provide some guidance about good plants to use and how I need to prepare the ground for them and timescales etc. I would use a professional gardener but Im still feeling the pain after my previous attempt at using contractors so I want to try and do it myself if I can!

Thanks for reading and all advice is gratefully received.

Hi, are you sure picture 1 & picture 2 aren't the wrong way round - I know wildlife gardens are all the rage but that's quite impressive!
You seem to have done a good job so far, but I quite agree with you about the manhole cover.
Anyway, to your questions re plants.
The first area, in front of the deck, should be pretty easy to sort as you say it gets plenty of sun. These things are really down to personal taste, but personally I'd put a few roses in there. You wouldn't need many as they need to be quite well spaced. Probably 2 or 3 to the right and another to the left. I'd stick to one variety for greater impact and also stick to floribunda roses as they flower for longer, more prolifically and tend to be hardier. Arthur Bell is a good reliable one.
Have a look at http://www.roses.co.uk/ for plenty of choice.
You would then get both the visual impact and the scent from your decking.
(If you do choose a floribunda make sure it is scented as not all of them are.)
I would then make the beds a little wider and plant a few low growing annuals in front. You could even put a few bulbs such as daffs or crocuses in at the same time to give you some more early colour.
The second area, that next to the shed, you want something quite hardy and shade tolerant. Providing your soil is not alkaline I would plant a Camelia against the wall. You can buy soil testing kits from any garden centre for a few quid to check your soil first. Neutral or acid soil would be OK. Camelias are beautiful when in flower and they are evergreen so would do a good job of covering up the fence behind.
I would then plant a couple of azaleas in front of this. (Again, providing your soil is not alkaline.) If you pick evergreen ones then you will have a bit more to look at come winter!
This would then leave you free to plant a few low growing perenials in front of this.
Both camelias and azaleas are pretty hardy and almost maintenance free.
If you soil is alkaline then you are a bit more limited but there is still lots of choice.
Chaenomeles (also listed as japonica or ornamental quince) is a plant that does well in shade. It has white, pink or red flowers followed by yellow fruits (not worth eating unfortunately) Plant it at the back and it will grow up the fence and soon cover it. It is not a true climber but is easy enough to tie in.
If you really want to fox the cats you could plant a berberis, which have good spiny thorns. Stick to one of the evergreen ones.
Mahonia is another plant that is low maintenance and does well in shade, but it always reminds me of car parks and office blocks so personally I steer clear.
For the middle you could choose a viburnum or a hypericum.
Another excellent evergreen for shade is euonymus. There are many nice variegated leaved ones.
Finally, what are you going to do about the fence along the left hand side. A couple of choice climbers, such as a clematis or honeysuckle would transform this.
Anyway, just a few ideas for you to be getting on with!

loose the solar lights, they look naf.

Interesting gardener you had, but yes apart from the solar lights i think you have done a great job.

my plant suggestion, no idea, BUT have a wander round your neigbourhood and see what others have. if it grows in theirs it shopuld grow in yours. Some plants like acidic soil, some alkaline, get it wrong and...... thats why i suggest you see what others near you have

What a lot of hard work and effort. No wonder you're pleased.

Just a thought for the manhole cover. Could you make a wooden plant holder on wheels a bit bigger than the manhole, disguising the wheels by insetting them and putting wood edging round the bottom. Make sure the wood is suitable for outdoor use. You could line this with heavy duty plastic, perforate it and then plant it up with seasonal plants. eg Low growing bulbs for spring, bedding plants for summer etc. You could even grow some salad crops or herbs in it. If you need access to the manhole, just wheel it to one side. A bit like a raised bed on wheels. Or, if it would be too heavy full of soil, put pots in it of varying types according to the season.

A bit like this without the trellis. By raising the inner base, you could disguise the wheels, taking care to ensure that the external lower edge of the planter was far enough off the ground to clear the manhole cover easily.