Small Condo Patio....need help...any help!! :D

[Lucia Leben]

Hey guys....my hubby and I purchased a condo about 4 blocks from the ocean (I only mention this because I know certain plants etc are better suitable for the enviroment)... Since we bought it I have always wanted to re-do the patio (mainly to be more visually appealing since you see it when you're in the living room and so the space could be better utilized by our 3 year old We just ripped out all the cracked brick on one side the previous owners had and a small deck...now I'm stuck....I know I do want to use flagstone but not sure on how I could make a raised flower bed..should I do it all around? Just one side? The hugest problem is there is a drain at the back end of the patio that needs to allow water to drain...we were going to put wood planks over it with 2x4 and then stain it and add some potted plants...I am also planning on taking out all 3 palms...they are a little overkill in my opinion for such a small yard...they are queen palms and I believe those do get to be quite huge....any ideas you guys could give me as far as color stones....design...etc would be greatly appreaciated!! I am going to attach some photos of our now ripped up back patio..... I am wondering how I can block those apartments in the background with a fuller tree or something?? Also we do plan on removing the big slab on concrete right by the slider door