Most gardens end up with an area for the bits you would rather not show off; where pots, wheel barrows and the like need to be stored. These areas need to be kept clean and tidy, so the paving needs to be smooth and easy to clean. As this is the working part of the garden, cost is an issue and often the cheapest smooth flags will the best. Where the area is going to be heavily used; or a greenhouse or heavy shed are to be set on them the solid 50mm thick flags are a better bet. Alternatively a plain concrete pad can be laid. In any case, as with all paving, care should be taken to ensure the paving is laid onto a good base capable of supporting the weight of what ever is going to be placed on the flags. Consideration should also be given as to the drainage of the area with a good fall towards an area of the garden any water can safely soak away into.

Sometimes the line between the garden and the utility area can be blurred, particularly where fruit and vegetables are to be grown. Gravel paths look very good running between vegetable beds but the work in them invariably involves stepping between the path and the soil. This will always result in soil ending up on the path and you want to be able to easily clean this off if the path is to remain usable. Clearly this is going to be very difficult with a patterned flags and impossible with a gravel path. Here pragmatism should not be sacrificed for appearance. Grass paths do provide an alternative to paving stage-manage but you have to consider if their appearance outweighs the problems of cutting them and their becoming muddy. While grass paths through provide a softer organic appearance to say a vegetable garden they are not easy to clean, can be difficult and time consuming to mow and can quickly become muddy if used a lot in wet weather.