I have finally removed the horrible broken black-top that was in our courtyard; I'd been planning to replace it with paved stones. For budget reasons I then changed my plan to marble gravel in the soft pinkish family, but now that the dread blacktop is gone I'm wondering if I shouldn't cover the area with good soil, plant grass, and add slate stones for walking. This house is in northern France, and the courtyard gets very little light. I already have 2 lovely conical box trees for either side of the door, and I will be adding interesting light fixtures to either side as well. So the question is--do I go for the marble gravel, or extend the greenery to the curb? Thanks!