Hi Yardvaark, I was hoping you would chime in. Reading through other threads you often have some interesting ideas. There is a considerable slope at the front, but I think the photo is deceptive. It is not so bad that it can't be mowed. The tough slope is the one by the drive that has been mulched. The dogwood is a beautiful tree. It does hide the house, but really the house is no stunner (outside that is, I love it inside!). It also obscures our view of the less than picturesque duplexes across the street. I was looking for something distinct on the slope to the driveway. I settled on a weeping Japanese Maple after wandering around our neighborhood and admiring a neighbor's. It is interesting with leaves and without. This one is supposed to slowly reach a spread of 6 to 9 feet with an equal height, Putting it one day almost to the walkway. I've been thinking about the space to the right of the house between the maple and the corner. I think I would like a hedge of white hydrangeas like Annabelle, with some kind of deep green evergreen hedge behind (is there a laurel that would fit the bill?) with a green/white variegated hosta in front, with a creeping phlox at the very front, even falling into the right most window well. Sprinkle in daffodils clumps to add some spring color. Then place a couple of adirondack chairs in the grass in front of it painted the same red as my front door. It would hide the neighbor's AC unit as you were walking into the house and the red would give a pop of fun year round color against a pretty white / green background. At least that was what I was dreaming of last night. I don't know what to do as I go to the left across the house. I don't feel the need for foundation plants around the house, but I would like something tall and interesting between the two rightmost windows. And I'm at a complete loss as I go the left of the front door towards the garage and then down to the drive. A lady at the garden center was musing about dwarf lilacs in there. I'll continue thinking about to and would love some other thoughts. Thanks!

The main thing to remember is to make the pitch (slope) of your patios, carports (anything concrete) MORE than the minimum required, with the grass, groundcover, mulch (whatever) recessed down from, AND sloped away from that concrete 'shelf'. With 2-3 inch-per-hour (or more) rainstorms, there will still be run-over from the gutters, and it will need to drain QUICKLY away from the house. Make sure there adequate swales around the edges of your yard to slow and guide the water, and that you and any neighbors you may have don't mess them up. Also, if you plant trees that will become large (>35') make sure they will not interfere with good drainage. That is, as trees grow, they tend to form a large flare at the ground which usually humps up soil and possibly roots creating a barrier, preventing water flow, especially from back to front yards, in a narrow area. Prevention will save you thousands of dollars and hours of backbreaking labor...my neighbor did that this week...new sod was placed yesterday. Boulders are a great idea, done well. Done poorly, they become a large blockade, are impossible to move and difficult to work with (not to mention eyesore and vision blocker)...get professional help for that. There are many trees, like Paulownia which are invasive...the birds spread the seeds far and wide with a good dose of fertilizer. Florida privet or crepe myrtle would be better choices, but don't 'hat rack' them, just do enough pruning to give them some shape. You can contact your local county extension office or the Florida Native Plant Society for more FREE help. For those of us who need more help, go down to your local "Labor Ready" (or similar) place and hang around outside until you find some one who speaks your language, and negotiate a few hours' labor with a couple of people who have enough experience to know what you are talking about...you will find all the help you need...make SURE you have a neighbor around when you do this, just in case, and don't pay more than minimum wage unless you feel they are worth it.

IMO I would first solve the function issues you have outlined and then address the style issues you have requested. As with every design problem there may be compromises to get most of what you've listed, but function shouldn't be one of them. I've attached a layout and some examples of furnishings & unique equipment that may accommodate many of your requests. Please carefully think about keeping a frankly huge armoire, that you still have to spend time and money to refinish, to hold a printer that could reasonably fit on a small shelf. The printers seem to get smaller everyday as do the computers/laptops. How many of us got stuck with armoires to hold huge TVs? The local Goodwill where I live won't even take armoires anymore because no one wants them in their homes. That item in particular, from my perspective as a designer, is like fitting a square peg in a round hole. I often look to the RV industry to provide me with clever equipment that does double duty, like hidden work surfaces that can pull out of standard cabinets when needed, and slide away when not in use. I think you can assemble a workable room, with the special style you're looking for & even that special settee, but I would build in files and storage which is always needed, find a clever way to close away your DH clutter so you don't have to nag, & look for high tech items to help you reach you goals. Built in wall units are not inexpensive, but everything doesn't need to be custom. Cabinets from any modular kitchen cabinet manufacturer, even IKEA, could be used to assemble your workstations. Good Luck

Well, the area you decide to till is entirely up to you, and will depend on the varieties and number of plants. Keep in mind that even if you are going to want an acre of pumpkin, the only reason to work a continuous area of soil is for efficient use of machinery. The only places that 'need' be tilled/turned (making conceptual room for no till gardening) are where the seeds will be sown/ transplants are to be placed. Some people do plant in mounds and whether you feel the need might be best determined by your climate and terrain. Mounds are not strictly necessary, but can help with drainage. If you have a flat area that can flood or not drain well, and you typically get ample-to-excess rainfall, then mounding can help. If your area is slopped, or raised, mounding can be unwieldy and can be affected by erosion. Your plans may not include them, but people who garden in raised beds are essentially growing all their plants in 'mounds'. Spacing is determined by variety. So, were it me, I would start by choosing my varieties. The ones you decide on will determine the amount of space you need, as well as distance apart. Bush types obviously need much less space, but some vines can be incredible growers. I probably live in a more Southern climate than you at 5a (Tn.), and grow a winter squash called North Georgia Candy Roaster. I raise mine under row covers to keep the vine borer off them, but they, like many pumpkins and winter squash, are vigorous vines that prefer space. There are a number of Candy Roaster and Banana types that are fun to watch grow, as well as extremely versatile in the kitchen. They can be made into soups, roasted, sauteed, made into desserts, etc... The flavor of the one I grow is mild, but quite delightful. Some of these get to enormous sizes! Choose varieties that do well in your climate, and can reach maturity based on average first and last frosts for the number of days between planting and harvesting. If you have vine borers, consider Moscata types. The staple, and probably the most popular, is the Butternut, but these too come in many shapes and sizes. They also have many uses in the kitchen, and fill your requirements for texture. Variety is always nice, and with seed catalogs now on the internet, it's more convenient than ever to find a huge selection from which to choose. I would start amending the space now. Once you decide on varieties, then plan out where you want to plant. Start dumping organic matter in a 3' - 4' round heaps. If you have access to 'clean' manure (no herbicides), dump that there too. Basically, make compost piles where you are going to plant seeds. Because you have so much time before planting, the manure can be raw (uncomposted.) In the fall, turn the organic matter into the soil (add the types of fertilizer that need time to decompose if you wish,) then mulch with leaves. Let that sit all Winter. Then, in Spring, till in your mulch and fertilize... mulch again. Plant when your soil warms for the varieties you've chosen. If you want to kill the grass in the entire area, you can either mulch thickly if you have access to such resources, or put down newspaper and cardboard. Wood chips and thick layers of straw/hay/grass clippings, leaves, etc... are examples of mulches that would be appropriate given the length of time between now and planting. Oh, and a soil test from a reputable lab (like those provided by your County Agricultural Ext. - in the U.S.) is the best way to find your soil pH and get recommendations for what amendments are appropriate for your soil and conditions. Hope that gets you started with ideas.