I love the fern and flagstone idea! I hadn’t considered ferns at all.

Other plant suggestions include Hakone grass, bergenia, brunnera and heuchera. You might be able to squeeze in a small shade shrub or two with the right placement. Good luck!

James

can you post a better, clearer picture? This pic is horribly (at least on my screen) blurry and through a screen.

I’ll try to find an old one on my phone, but as I mentioned, there’s really nothing to see. It’s a rectangle currently covered in a couple feet of snow.

Adelle, we can't see the access point, the surrounding area, we don't know if there is electric or water installed, all we have is a blurry picture.

I found one from the last time I tried to figure out the space

If it is a space you want to use to be in, as opposed to just looking out the window at, I think you need to have it paved and the deck already creates a usable walking and furniture placement space. But the wood surface is ugly! Why don't you just paint it with floor and deck paint? That way you can control how light or dark it is, and give it a uniform, civilized finish. If there is not a space for any planting, you can create that by removing a small section of deck at one or both ends. Or you can incorporate some type of planter on the space. Replacing the fence with one that is more decorative will help the overall ambience.

It is a very very small space, you easily mulch the heck out of it. I’d see if you could get one small specimen tree. Because you’d only need one, you can budget more and make it very special.

If that is a screen door the first thing is get rid of it and use a retractable screen . Then

Is the concrete portion slanted or flat?

It wouldn't take much to make it more inviting...a bistro set, an outdoor carpet, hanging lights, a climbing flowering vine on trellis, flowers/ferns in colorful pots...

Lil, I think it’s slanted but not because it’s supposed to be! There have been some really good suggestions. Now I’m thinking ferns, flagstone, maybe a small tree behind where the door is, and keeping some of the patio on the other side with a super small bistro table. My only concern about the wood is that so much snow sits on it all winter and is really hard on it, but other people seem to manage. I also appreciate the comment about the door. It is impossible to open in the winter and awkward in the summer, so replacing it would make a huge difference. Thanks everyone for getting me excited about the possibilities! This is my inspiration now:

Love your inspiration photo! You’re on the right track! Plant perennial vines in the ground along trellised section of fence. Keep others in pots, like your inspiration photo (do you have a place to bring potted plants in for winter? If not, stick to annuals or replant each year. Nice solid surface for patio. Consider a covered bench for across the end of the yard.