Moon, I've also read literally dozens of landscaping books, and still couldn't landscape my way out of a paperbag until I started studying design in a classroom setting. Some will say I still can't, but there it is. So it's not you. The way design principles are presented in gardening and design books makes sense only when you understand the principles by actually practicing using them. At least that's how it was for me. A scale drawing of your property showing the location of the house is a good place to start. Once you have that, you can use tracing paper to play with ideas. Start by listing what you do want and prioritizing the list. I can't tell from the photos if that's a little patio in the fenced off area behind the house or not. If you need a small patio for yourself and a couple of friends, you may want to start there. You can start by sketching in possible plantings around the patio to give it a little privacy. You don't have to block out the neighbors completely if you don't want or need to, but even a low planting will give you a feeling of comfort, and visually reduce the size of that space to a more human scale. You can then think about what you want to look at when you are on the patio, and sketch in ideas for beds that will not only give you a view, but a place to putter as well. Maybe a patio is not your first priority. It may be that you want to landscape the front to make the house seem more like it's "in" the landscape than sitting "on" it, all alone, as it is now. Think about adding some ornamental trees that frame the view of the front of the house. Pencil them in and go outside with your drawing, and imagine how they will look when they mature a bit. Do the same from inside the house, in the rooms where you will spend enough time that the view might be important. You may find that your placement blocks a view you want to keep, or will block the sun too much. Adjust if necessary. If you already know you want a fence, sketch it in, and play with plantings that conceal parts of it to make it less conspicuous. If you need shade, that's also a good place to start. Research trees that will flourish in your conditions, see what the local nurseries have available, and plan where to put them for the most benefit. The afternoon sun in the west tends to be hot, so trees placed to throw some shade on the windows or sitting area can be selected. They don't have to be huge trees to give shade as the sun gets lower in the afternoon, and the southwest and west sides might need it the most, but experiment with where shadows fall and pencil in some trees. Do you need a veggie plot? Compost pile? Shed? If so, figure out where they will be convenient to use. Veggie gardens need water, compost pile may need screening. I wouldn't worry about microclimates yet. As you plant things and put in fence, etc. they will change anyway, as sun and shade patterns and wind will be affected by anything you add. For the moment, select plants that are at least hardy in your zone, or go one zone colder to be safe in an unusually severe winter. You can experiment later with fussier plants. Hardscape is expensive. Fortunately, if there isn't a good reason to have a walk or other feature included, you can skip it. If you know you'll need a walk to make access from front to backyard more convenient in wet or winter weather, include one, just don't put it so close to the house that you end up with the dreaded 3' bed. Leave 5 or 6 feet for shrubs or groundcover, or a flowerbed if the location calls for one. I wouldn't put in a walk and focal point just for the heck of it. If you find that once you get started a walk seems like it makes sense from point A to point B, add it then. You can always wait to see where you wear a path in the lawn. All of this can take a lot of time and thought. If you're patient, you can start small with whatever ends up at the top of your priority list. If you're impatient, you can always hire a designer to do a full plan or give you some direction.

Thank you for the suggestions! I still have quite a bit of shopping to do for the project (and will probably go out tomorrow or on the weekend). I've been quite busy at the studio recently (spending about 10-12 hours a day working away), so some progress has been made since I've last updated. The most significant accomplishment is the kitchen. Pictures are better than words, so here is one: The kitchen is practically done, except for the stove top. The kitchen, living room, and bathroom have all been "tiled" (with peel-and-stick tiles cut into unimaginably small pieces, then peeled-then-stuck) and "grouted" (with some drywall compound). The dining room has been floored and stained, as has the small hallway which leads to the bathroom. All the interior walls have been painted and a few erected. The bathroom has a frosted-glass shower (vellum with aluminum duct tape "trim") and a vanity/sink (minus the sink). The toilet and sink, to be made out of oven-hardening modelling clay, will be made and baked by Saturday. I've run out of mini-tiles for the studio floor, so I have to go and buy some more from Dollarama and cut them. Some wooden furniture pieces only await painting/staining (to the same dark mahogany finish that you see the floors/cabintes in) while others still need to be constructed. I need to get rugs for the living/dining/bed room. The sofas/armchairs/bed/dining chairs all have feet or legs to be cut, stained, and then glued, not to mention the upholstering (which may not happen). Some exterior walls need to be cut and others painted, while the entire back "window-wall" needs to be constructed out of balsa pieces and then either stained the rich mahogany, or trimmed in metal. Finally, artwork/accessories need to be made to adorn the rather bare walls. And that is for the interior only. The exterior: Foamcore bases need to be constructed for the hot tub, steps, and raised stone deck. Peel-and-stick vinyl tile has to be cut to the right sizes (probably 3x3-foot squares, set into a running bond) and then applied to the surfaces. The bonsai garden's: pillars need to be made and then painted; base to be set in drywall compound (think dry raked garden); moss needs to be set and painted; potential bamboo screen to be constructed; bonsai need to be crafted. The Japanese garden's: tree's trunk/branches need to be made of wire, covered in glue gun for bark texture, painted, and then foliage (crumpled florist's foam) applied and then further painted/textured; moss/shrubs need to be made/set in place; gravel set on the base; tsukubai/rocks made (probably out of drywall compound); water applied (saran wrap?). The outdoor furnishing also have to be made. Phew. That's quite a to-do list. I better get cracking! But tonight is my night off to relax. (Friday/Saturday nights are not as ideal as other people are partying so the noise levels are obscene, so I plan to...

Greetings once again from the Queen of May. The Good Queen Mother, Queen of March, AKA Treesa, sends her Tidings of Welcome to Deni, Queen of June. Her Highness bids you a most wonderfully enjoyable month and regrets that she is unable to post her welcome message herself because she also is suffering from computer difficulties which prevent the site pages from loading. In her letter to me she related how her beautiful backyard has become a pond, thanks to what seemed like endless rain through our dear state of SC. We were treated by Mother Nature to a straight week of rain before our annual steam cooker summer heat really kicked in. On the positive side, those rains eliminated the need to water potted plants three times daily. A week's break from that was welcomed, though it did not allow any much needed planting to be accomplished. The Queen of May still owes Thank You notes to the Queens mentioned in her previous post. She is still in a whirlwind of kid shuttling and limited in her computer time. She has not forgotten any of you.

This is a great thread. We all love what we collect and isn't it wonderful that most of us collect something different? I collect blue and white Staffordshire Transferware from England, early to mid 1800's. I have over 100 Cup Plates, a little more or less than 4" diameter. They were used as a coaster with the handless cups with bowl shape saucer of 6" from the 1820-1850 period. Often confused with a child's plate from a toy tea set. I also have many patterns of dinner ware pieces of a specific potter E. & G Phillips, Longport England. American butter stamps, butter churns and English cream pots with dairy names stamped or transfered on the pot and numerous other things too many to list. I am just addicted to antiques and collectibles. I also clean and repair and resale and upgrade my English china. So my life is a constant buy, clean, repair, resale, collect more upgrade..etc. I tell my husband I am recycling and being green! I love,love, love what I do. I cannot imagine not ever being able to buy and also resale to share my knowlegde. I also have an extensive library of reference books and love researching everything.