I like your ideas, Virgil and leelee. Thanks for weighing in! The natural stone with ground cover between is a lovely look and would compliment the old world look that I'm sort of going for. One devoted dame, tulips are my favorite! I'll keep your tip in mind when I'm looking for pops of color.

Too be honest, and I am not a pro, I don't think much of the suggested landscaping. Not because it is bad, per se, but because you wanted little maintenance. I still see a lot of open soil. Normally I like mulched beds and don't think it all has to be covered but your courtyard is an unusual case. You have so much hardscape and it is almost the same color as the house. It feels harsh. I think Yardvaak's offering is much more serene. I'm not sure if shrubs are even necessary. This looks nice with perennials and a vine. No shrubs here either. Since you want an easy care garden you would use less variety and plants that do not require dead heading. Another limitation is that you have little room to grow things next to the house. Most is blocked with paving or doors. I really liked the groundcover you had before. Was that Liriope? Did you not like it or did it die? It looks like the area just inside the gates has two small trees. I would remove the Berbris. Height is not needed there. I think you could be happy with a fewer shrubs and more ground cover. I know that is not typical for a courtyard but is seems it would be better for you.

We need pictures and IMO craftsman ans spanish are so far apart I do really need pictures .I have never seen a craftsman house with a courtyard for starters .

@calidesign, thanks for your comments about the placement of our plants. I know a lot of suggestions are to cluster them but I was looking for a more symmetrical, clean look...that's just the way my mind works. Painting the wall is an interesting concept, never thought of that. I did look into outdoor mirrors after I read your comments, unfortunately the ones I saw had comments about not holding up too well in the rain and direct sun. Neat idea though, thanks. @JT7abcz, thanks for coming back with more wisdom!!! Yes, we are aware that teak is fine out in the elements, we prefer to keep the nice brown color rather than the natural gray that results from exposure. I love your idea of putting it on the back wall but my husband (who is very handy) has no interest in going through the process of scrubbing each little piece with teak cleaner to bring it back to the brown color...thus it is tucked away. Your comment about the 4 walls being like an indoor room was a very valid point. You are correct, we wouldn't leave indoor walls empty. I will have to start the hunt for wall art. Thanks for your remarks on furniture placement. There was thought behind it and it seems to work well for us. @floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK, I appreciate your observation on my plant placement, a few others have made similar comments, however as I mentioned above I wanted a symmetrical, clean look. The small plants in the black pots on the plant stands are not permanent, they will be relocated once we finalize our plan. The lone yucca will also be gone, currently looking for a home for it. I like the two plants on either side of the two chairs, I think it gives balance and one of them hides the grill when looking from inside to outside. @ashtonchic, thanks for your reply. That was my original plan, to put a console table on that wall, hadn't thought about a canopy. I'm not sure if you read through my original post, I was considering having a table built out of ipe wood (cheaper than teak but great in the outdoor environment) and metal legs to coordinate with my current coffee table. Unfortunately it was quite a bit more expensive than I anticipated and I'm having a hard time justifying the expense for an outdoor table when I want to replace a few pieces of furniture on the inside of my home. Thus my design dilemma!!