Spray glyphosate and replace "weeds" with turf, or if too shady mulch. Pavers could be used but cost money to acquire and install. Better to leave a blank slate for the next set of people to work with.

Definitely don't have anything that makes it look like the place requires "too much work".

I thought the picture to be a "before" shot. Was anything salvageable from amidst the snakeroot? See a couple of hostas at the lower left. Also appears to be sun in the photo, so maybe you've got a portion of backyard with passing and/or light shade. Has the area been completely cleared out? Snakeroot is fairly easy to pull up getting the rhizome and fibrous roots, especially when the ground is wet. But it seeds itself readily, so I'd expect it to keep on coming for a while.

I found this just by surfing for free wood chips in Madison, Wisconsin This could come in handy once you've formulated a sort-of plan for the area. And you can't get less expensive than free. This might be a good idea for the clothes line area you want to keep clear with minimal maintenance - keeping the rest a blank slate, as bboy suggested, for the next owner/occupant. Clean it up, but I don't think I'd go too much further with any investment in plant material - unless you like puttering around and can beg and borrow excess plants from friends and neighbors.

"Free Wood Mulch Available:
The Street Division has free wood mulch available at four drop off locations. You can pick up the free mulch at:

East Side
Sycamore Park (Across the street from our facility at 4602 Sycamore Av.)
Warner Park (In the softball parking lot just off N. Sherman Av.)
West Side
Garner Park (On Rosa Rd. just off Mineral Point Rd.)
Elver Park (In the parking lot just off McKenna Blvd.)
You will need to bring a shovel and containers to load and haul the material.

The Street Division tries to keep these sites stocked with wood mulch. However, we cannot guarantee that mulch will be available at all times. If there is no mulch available, you can check another site or try back on another date.

It is possible to have large amounts of wood mulch loaded into your truck at our processing center at 121 E. Olin Ave. The facility is open M-F from 7:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Please call 266-4911 prior to coming to the site."

You could try broadcasting coleus seed when the weatherman is predicting warm yet wet weather.

Thanks so much for your replies!

Yes, it's the before picture (before I ripped out a lot of the snakeroot) so now (under the snow) there are lots of bald spots. What's left are some good things like solomon's seal, ferns, some hostas, grasses, etc. I'm not sure if I should transplant into an "area" or just leave them where they are.

The free mulch idea is one I've been taking advantage of several years now - and so do others - you have to get there early in the day to get some as it's usually gone by the afternoon the city leaves it.

I think we should get some of the trees trimmed to let in more light because in the long run it will look better.

Hi,
I went to Beloit, so I have an idea about your climate. How soon is soon? I'm not sure enough weeds will emerge "in time" for you to spray roundup on them and still have time
to seed, if you are talking about putting the house on the market in a month. Given what the real estate market is now, however, your house could be on the market a while On the other we're talking about Madison a wonderful small city and it could sell quickly. There are too many variables in this economy to make complicated or costly invesments. My opinion: get rid of the weeds, prepare the soil, and plant good seed in good soil. Water religiously Get two beautiful big pots for careful placement in the front by the steps or on the porch , if you have one. Get help in making a fantastic planting in them. But spend most of your time cleaning out the house, ditching clutter, a little sprucing up. I just don't think the yard is what is going to sell the house. As long as it is tidy and not a hazardous waste site, people will look at the house and be relatively unaffected by the yard. It is just not not big enough or impressive enough to be a deal breaker, as long as it is not clearly detrimental.

After all my yacking, now I see "shady" so if you are even willing to try grass, make sure it is shade tolerant. But I think "grass" and "shade tolerant" is an oxymoron.