Cute house. Is that a baby on the lawn next to the driveway? LOL. I'm not a professional landscaper, but here's my advice from a first time homebuyers perspective who learned the hard way: Lots of great advice here...I agree with starting with soil amendment, then trees, shrubs, perennials / garden in that order, and wait a year before delving into major changes unless you have a pro landscaper. Keep in mind seasonal interest, evergreens and deciduous. Do you want privacy? You can place trees to block views. Do you want a place to entertain and relax? If so, then you can consider a patio in your landscaping scheme. I also perused my neighborhood for similar homes to get a better idea of my likes vs. dislikes, and expanded on that, and I've spent winter months perusing the web, garden books and magazines for a wealth of information. Usually when I did something on a whim, I later regretted it. I have a neighbor who took a beautiful lilac shrub, hacked it down to the ground at 10:00 pm, the night before she threw a party, to "make more room for seating". We couldn't believe it (as this was the last shrub in their yard). I also have a lilac shrub that I later trimmed up into a tree form to make room for a rocking chair underneath, and it's adorable, very English-gardenish, my husband's favorite place to relax...so the moral of the story is my neighbor has regrets, I'm sure, as she later replanted another shrub in the same place. LOL. As far as your veggie gardens, some municipalities don't allow veggie gardens at the front of your home, so it's always best to check on municipal codes. Consider installing a rain barrel. Our community sells them dirt cheap as a recycling program (old pickle barrels), as opposed to the pricing you see on the internet. Your plants will love you for it, and you'll save on your water bill. Our local dump provides free compost and mulch if you pick it up and load yourself. I always check on gardenweb regarding plant selections, and I've always found this most reliable vs. zone hardiness or performance from garden magazines or nurseries. Gardenweb -trees, perennial forums, etc. are a plethora of valuable information, couldn't live without. Fence - get a property survey if no property markers on site. Check with city hall to see if they have any on record. Inform your adjoining neighbors before installing, as a courtesy, they'll appreciate it, and you can also make sure there are no property line disputes. Confirm municipal codes regarding height, permit requirements, material, etc. I wouldn't skimp on the quality as this will add value to your home, and appeal to future homebuyers with kids and pets. I noticed your access to the back yard is via the side door - think about whether you want your fenced area to encompass the back door as well, technically this area is considered the "side yard" and not the "back yard", in which there may be different height or permit requirements, so again, my best advice is to confirm municipal code (our municipality is very strict). As far as visual sensations, curb appeal increases the value of your home. Bricks - I would not get rid of them if they match the brick on your home. Depending on the year your home was built, you'd be hard pressed to ever find them again, and you never know when you might need them. You could use them as a pillar base for a pergola, for example, and it would look like it was original to the home. Just some things to think about. That's my 2 cents worth. Good luck, and most of all have fun. I knew absolutely nothing about gardening or landscaping, and now I'm hooked. I find gardening very therapeutic. Regards, Kim

Love the pergola! My Number-One selection for a SoCal garden is the lovely apricot Noisette: 'Reve d'Or.' A visitor asked us why we have three of it, and we said, simply: "It works." 'Reve d'Or'grows vigorously, is disease-resistant in SoCal (and I think NoCal) and blooms generously. Blooms are fragrant, and not half bad in a vase, either. (Perfect for a high shelf, where they can nod down at you.) I also love Sombreuil, but in that location, the prickles might be off-putting. Love 'Lamarque,' if you'd like to consider a lemon-white. (Also fragrant, abundantly blooming, and disease-free here.) In a completely different style, I absolutely love the Carruth striper -- 'Fourth Of July.' Though most of my roses are "antiques," I wouldn't be without this bloom-factory. Growing 'Fourth of July' is like having year-'round fireworks in your garden. It's fragrant, disease-free, and a rapid-repeater. Jeri

How sturdy is your arbor? Some of them are full-blown heavy construction and some are more delicate -- that might make a difference in what you plant. The first thing I thought of was clematis. The big trick is to give them sun and keep the roots cool -- seems contradictory but itÂs what they like and it works. The sweet autumn ones are one of my favorites (just be advised they attract lots of insects, if this is a place you'll be sitting). But there are lots of other lovely ones. I know care can sound confusing but it's just a question of getting the "type" clematis you want to care for -- I've included a link below that might help, or do a search on "clematis groups" for lots of information. You could even plant a couple of types -- a spring flowering one, and a summer flowering one, for example -- for more bloom. If you do go with clematis, just be sure to mulch them heavily. They like cool roots and with that afternoon sun they'll grown well but appreciate the mulch. I grew Clematis 'Jackmanii' and 'Ramona' and against the recommendations, never pruned either one. They were both beautiful and thrived and bloomed heavily every year for over 15 years. I never fertilized, either. The only care I gave them was to water the first year, and to mulch the roots. Another vine that would do really well is the perennial (not the annual) sweet pea (Lathyrus latifolius). It takes the hot sun and loves to climb and blooms all summer until after frost. Comes up every year and except for a small amount of training and tying to support, requires no care. I love these and had one on my fence in hot sun and also up a trellis by a west-facing window. They attract bees so if thatÂs an issue you might not want them. I also thought of trumpet vine but it tends to get huge, given the chance, and will send shoots up EVERYwhere, so if you decide to go with that, be sure you have a sturdy trellis and be prepared to mow down or cut down the dozens of shoots coming up all over the yard. One summer I grew morning glory up a bird feeder post and it was gorgeous  it twined all over and bloomed like crazy. It would like your nice warm location, too. You might want to mix it with moonflowers for evening bloom if youÂll be enjoying the arbor late in the day. There are other fun annual vines, too  hyacinth bean and cardinal climber are two that come to mind, and scarlet runner bean, and also the tall (not the short) nasturtiums. A fun project  enjoy! Here is a link that might be useful: clematis info

I could be wrong about the zone - on a zip code lookup map it tells me 9-10. I am near the coast, and the weather here tends to be much more mild. Those "zones" are pretty broad classifications. Here's a fairly accurate description of where I live: "Salinas, CA climate is mild during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 60's and cool during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 50's. The warmest month of the year is September with an average maximum temperature of 74.60 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is December with an average minimum temperature of 39.40 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature variations between night and day tend to be fairly limited during summer with a difference that can reach 19 degrees Fahrenheit, and moderate during winter with an average difference of 22 degrees Fahrenheit. The annual average precipitation at Salinas is 15.12 Inches. Rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is January with an average rainfall of 3.00 Inches." We do get some 90 degree days, but only a handful. I had read the FAQ about blossom drop. . .I don't think too hot is going to be my biggest problem. My neighbor (who's in something like his 60th year of planting tomatoes in his backyard across the street - he's 92) said he usually doesn't even plant until around May 1 because it's not warm enough to really get 'em growing; in his words, "they just sit there and look at ya." Maybe I'm misunderstanding the term "frost date." Is it a technical term, or just the last time that you wake up to frozen stuff around you? Stupid question, I know, but I have a feeling I'm not communicating something correctly. Yes, the plants get direct sun for at least 6-8 hours a day (I need to be a little more scientific about it), but it's been a cold spring - it's been in the 50's all this last week with a high of 63 projected for the next week. On the few hot days we have had, the plants have practically grown before my eyes, but they don't grow much during these chilly times. So. . .I can put in a stake without messing up their little root systems? Thanks, Christopher