A lot of areas to work on there. The first thing to do is repeat over and over - "I can't do it all at once."

When you look out the windows or walk around your property, what bothers you the most? Unkempt neighboring properties? the essentially big empty of your own yard? the need to get a vegetable garden established? the Jack-O-lantern teeth sheared shrubs along the foundation? Spotty lawn? What to grow on the backyard fence? That might be an ideal fence for something like Sweet Autumn Clematis - can grow 30' a year without blinking.

Faced with all you want to do, draw out a rough and tentative plan and zero in on an area or two that would please you the most to get started on.

Some find it easier to start from the house and work their way out. Some want to get going on screening out a disagreeable view. Do you like the maintenance end of gardens and landscapes? Do you have a source for inexpensive plant material - friends, neighbors, church groups, local plant sales - to make yourself a temporary nursery/holding type bed for the time when your plans start to gel?

Id like to first screen out neighbors!!!
Im thinking the cheapest way to do this is by planting leland cypresses...?
How far apart should I plant them if Im going to be cutting them at 8 feet in height?

I live in zone 5 and can not give good advice for Georgia. But you mentioned Leyland Cypress and want to keep a hedge 8 ft high. Please read the threads about pruning Leyland cypresses in the Conifer forum.

These trees become monsters, though posters liked them as single or pair of trees when the property is large enough. Final height is reported around 100 ft with a trunk of 3 ft diameter. If I recall correctly the final widths is 30 ft. You would not be able to keep pruning them years from now, and the removal then would be very expensive. Recommended spacing seemed to be 12 ft or so. As an alternative Thuja Green Giant was suggested.

As a smaller screen I just planted several Emerald Beauty Arborvitaes (Thuja occidentalis "Smaragd"), final height 15 ft, bought them at Home Depot. They have smaller ones at lower prices.

(There was the story of a lady planting a row of Leyland Cypresses on a 1/3 acre lot, 4 ft from the property line, who threatened the neighbor in case he dared to prune them.)

Otherwise I found the suggestion very good to make a plan of changes and complete them one project at a time, the most urgent one first.

I'll just comment on the front yard, since that is where the greater desire for change is. I would not remove any trees from your front yard. With a yard that big, every tree is a blessing. They can't help but look random.

What is causing the bare spot? It can't be erosion since there are bare spots on the flat area also. You should be able to grow grass on the slope if you till it up good and use a patch product that helps to hold the seed. I do however like the idea of a wall. It would create a nice hardscape that would help reduce the massiveness of your front yard. You could put plants above and below the wall and it would be really nice. Have your thought about bringing your immediate yard in closer to your house to make it cozier. If you did put in a wall you could continue that idea of separation created by the wall with a large hedge like arborvitae. Due to perspective, your hedge is going to block out whatever is on the other side the closer you are to it. A hedge of trees or shrubs far away from your house is going to take a long time for you to really get the relief you want.

In my opinion, the perfect place for the crape myrtle is in the bed to the right of your porch.

Red tips and hollies make excellent screen choices and both can be trimmed and shaped.

I may be laughed off this thread for suggesting this, but NOTHING beats eleagnus for providing a wonderful inexpensive screen.

After looking at more pictures of your house, I'm getting the idea that you like "square" shrubs, (which really isn't the best thing for them but that's another thread) and might not like the growth habit of eleagnus. But I'm suggesting it anyway for these reasons:

1. You have the space for it. Depending on where your lot line is from those houses in front of you, you should plant them about 10 feet in from that. You can come up closer to your house for a quicker "screen", but I wouldn't come too close. They can become MONSTERS.

2. You can buy small plants (gallon size) and they will quickly grow. Water them pretty well the first year and then FORGET THEM.

3. You don't have to watch after them like you do Leyland Cyprus. While the LC will give sort of "instant" gratification, I've observed that they can be picky, especially when we have really dry weather like we've had in the south. I've seen one house replace one at least five times, and these people don't seem to have to be budget conscious. Several others in their "screen" are brown or dying.

4. Eleagnus grow (in their natural form) to VERY LARGE mounding shrubs, and actually more beautiful than having them sheared off. (Why make extra work?) Once you start cutting them, you stimulate them and they send out random long shoots that you would want to trim. Spend your time doing something else on your wonderful property.

5. They SMELL divine when in bloom. Birds love them. (Note that the fruits are the "caviar" of bird food in the link below.

6. IMO, the foliage is pretty wonderful..nice green on top, silvery green underneath. Very pretty.

Just my opinion.

Oh, and gallon sizes are pretty darn cheap, too. Don't think you have to get bigger sizes for quicker large growth. Waste of money.

On the fencing where you said put boston ivy...what is that fencing off?

I would put clematis vines (sweet autumn will cover it quickly) other clematis for summer color, and come climbing roses. (Zephrine Drouhin is a great, nearly thornless rose. EASY to grow) Those will give you something to prune/chop at. :0)

vmcenroe has the right idea, too...bring your intimate yard in closer. Still plant the screening plants out on your lot line and along the side of the driveway. You don't need a "wall" as much as a screen. Lattice panels could be a temporary solution, with vines and other things planted in front of them.

Hope this helps...

I have to tell you, I'm pretty darn jealous of your lot...flat, fabulous sun, lots of space. Have fun with it!

Also, all that stuff you're pulling out, are you composting it? I'm seeing that hard red GA clay (we have it, too) and the quicker you get going on composting the less frustrations, less work, more water, better plants you'll have.

I can't stop myself!

Have you been to the winter sowing forum? If not, start doing some reading and saving of things the containers they mention so you can have some almost free flowers (like tons of them) next year.

It looks like you have kids...think of making some/lots of your space into bird/butterfly gardens. Buddleias grow pretty large..might be nice shrubs along that backyard fence. Wildflowers of all kinds...

I love the secret garden idea but wonder if LC's would get too big for such a small space, even if they're on the corners? Not sure what to recommend but thought I'd throw that out.

Front yard, low spot. Hmmm, wonder if you could take advantage of the lowness of it and make it lower, creating a rain garden. You could actually expand it, direct your downspout on the right of your porch out toward it so the rainwater from the roof is directed that way. Plant it with native plants (trees/shrubs/flowers) that would form a loose "screen" up front, while the eleagnus (or other screening shrub/tree) was growing in the background.

I guess I should state that I like a very uniform tidy look..

I like the Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd'..Thanks! Ill look into them! Price wise are they about the same as LC?

My dad suggested red tips too! He grew them next to our house when I was a little girl.. I always thought they looked good but my neighbor down the road has them as a screen and they..IMO look, well not very good. Does grooming help keep them looking full?

The bare spot is just super packed dirt. My bf is bringing home the case loader to till up the garden and Ill have him break that up as well. Ill bring the idea of a wall up to him. I think I can get some rail road ties pretty cheap..

How far should I bring the crepe myrtle out from the house? When you say in the bed to the right did you mean put it in the corner by the porch, or the gap between the triple windows and double? Maybe get another tree and plant in both places?

About removing the trees...
I want Crepe Myrtles instead of those. Ill have SOMETHING there I just dont like those types of trees..

"On the fencing where you said put boston ivy...what is that fencing off?"
Do you mean..
The fencing starts off the flush with the back of the house..
Or that its 5' welded wire fencing with posts 8ft apart about 2.5' in the ground?

I love the clematis vines! Ill look more into those!

I think Im going to forget all about LC. They are really over used in my area as a screen and I want something new to look at! :)
The buddleias are a wonderful idea! Thanks!
I think the "secret garden" should be my butterfly garden and a small cut flower garden. Ill probly just use Emerald Green Arborvitae on the corners..

I think I may do my sunflower garden in the lower corner..but would that look way to random?

Fencing (boston ivy question)..sorry, didn't make myself clear. Is that a children's area? (having to do with the climbing rose suggestion). If you like the clematis, they really look pretty when twining in with roses, which is why I suggested them.

Red tops tend to look better when groomed...the new growth is what is red. When they are ungroomed they tend to get real tall, more sparse, lots of blooms.

And sorry, didn't mean to offend with the square bush comment. We have a neighbor who squares off her azaleas and then wonders why she doesn't get a lot of blooms.

I'm sort of a lazy gardener...so I tend toward more natural forms. Easier for me.

Here's a picture of pruned eleagnus. It does look nice when done like this, if one prefers this kind of shape.

Look at the top left picture. I couldn't find a bigger one.

oh you did not offend! To each their own... : )
Those bushes look very nice trimmed!!

I'm glad you've decided to pass on the LC; they are overused everywhere, and there are so very many trees and shrubs that can work well, but people overlook because they're not sold at most nurseries and big box stores.

See if you can find a copy of "Dirr's Hardy Trees & Shrubs, An Illustrated Encyclopedia" in your local library. Mike Dirr's descriptions are straightforward (sometimes with a touch of humor) and right on the mark. Here's what "Library Journal" had to say: A first-class source on the very best garden trees and shrubs. Excellent color photos accompany the well-written plant descriptions, which point out both the positive and negative attributes of each plant, including physical features, hardiness, disease resistance, and growth preferences. A multitude of cross-referenced indexes will help readers find the right plant for each location and desired effect.

(BTW, vitex, commonly known as chaste tree, would be a better alternative than buddleia. It grows to a small but full multi-stemmed tree, has blooms very similar to buddleia (also attractive to butterflies) but is not invasive as the buddleia can be.)

A great resource would be your local county agricultural extension office/Master Gardeners. Check out some public botanical parks or gardens in your area for ideas and inspiration. Ask the staff questions; they're usually very happy to share their expertise. See if they maybe have a library (I work at a county horticultural park which has a hort. library of 4000+ volumes plus horticultural magazines & newsletters and seed/garden supply catalogs ... and because it's a county park, it's free!)

I think what's bothering you most may be the open expanse of it all without plantings to make your house seem nestled into its surroundings and to give a sense of enclosure, scale and safe haven.

It's been covered in this forum in other threads, but a while ago: remember that you don't need a solid line of evergreens to block an undesirable view. All you need is a closer, and more attractive, focal point - something in front of just part of that view. Using that photo below the one that shows where your peas/lettuce may go, try sketching in a bed containing a good-sized tree, perhaps deciduous, and a mix of evergreen and deciduous shrubs which will mature to a good size, maybe some spring bulbs and a few perennials to be added in time. Even without totally blocking the view, this should make anything beyond it of little consequence.

Pennymca made a great suggestion regarding the wintersowing. Do check out that forum on Gardenweb as well as the wintersown.org website. Also check out the Georgia forum and any for specific plants you are interested in, and don't overlook the Exchange portions of those forums - you may be able to make a trade, and sometimes people post plants they wish to give away.

Why do you want to rip out all the shrubs in the pathway to the garage (except the nandina)? Maybe you would like these better in another location on your property. If you're working within a budget, try to make the most of what you've already got. I've found most plants transplant pretty well (though early spring or fall is best) if you get as much of the root-ball as possible, plant and water it in well and keep it watered as necessary through its first year in its new home.

You seem to have the space, a holding bed is a great suggestion to house new plants or plants you've taken out and may "re-home." If this area, or part of it, can be somewhat shaded from the harsh mid-day sun, that will make life easier for those plants-in-transition.

You're wise to prioritize. It looks like a large expanse and like you've got a lot to do, but take it in stages, learning as you go and, even though it seems you have almost a blank slate, you may find the surroundings making suggestions to you if you're open to them. Don't rush it - enjoy the process.

Sorry ... I've written a tome!

I enjoyed reading what you wrote! Thanks! I LOVE advice!! No matter how small or large!!!!!