...shrubs or easy to keep flagged areas or play areas for the kids etc.

i have a acre lake in my field which is part of my garden at the moment, half of the actual garden has a house being built on, and the others like a kids adventure park, at the moment the pools out, bouncy castle and all her other toys.
I love my big garden, probably as the hubby's the one to keep the lawn nice and low (he won't trust me with a lawnmower)

I have a stone patio near the house and a paved seating area under a pergola at the end of the garden. The pergola is planted with climbers that are just starting to cover the top.

There's a lawn in the middle of the garden with curved flower beds around it planted with a mixture of bushes and perennial plants, the plan is for it to look like a cottage garden.

small flagged yard with a few plant pots here and there (along with a corner full of recyling bins/boxes, how attractive)

My garden is in an experimental phase right now. It's a small area, with a deck, a picnic table, a small courtyard and a blue spruce tree. One side is shaded by the neighbour's maple, one side is very bright.

I've planted woodruff, ferns and hosta in the shady areas, and in the sunny areas, I have established daylilies. There are new daisies and lavendar I'm attempting to grow here, and hopefully by next year this side will be a nice prairie flower garden.