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.

Next on the To-Do List in relative order of priority: Garden Arch: Full Sun. Would like suggestions on what to grow on this. I don't think I want a climbing rose, since it's already surrounded by roses, but I'm not completely against any good suggestion :). What i DON'T want is something that will take over the structure. I was thinking maybe some kind of Clematis? I'd love to hear your opinions on the idea and suggestions for a variety that would work in this spot! Also happy to hear any other suggestions! Raised Planter: Need some ideas for permanent plantings to go around this tree. The area gets FULL SUN and is too far from those tall trees in back to get much relief until very late in the day. As far as style, I prefer something more informal and don't want to plant symmetrically around the tree (Does that make sense?). I know the roses are planted in a somewhat structured and formal way, and I don't mind them since they sort of separate the patio area from the garden. But I'd like to be a bit more varied with the rest of the garden. Back to the planter...I'd like something to spill over the edge in a few areas, and other plants to be more contained. Am I correct in assuming that I should wait to plant until after the summer heat dies down, especially in this area of the yard which gets a LOT of sun? Is there anything I CAN plant now that will do well temporarily so that there is some interest in this planter until I have a more definite plan? Planting beds surrounding lawn: I laid down newspaper/cardboard and covered everything with a thick layer of compost and was planning to just let the worms have their way with this soil until sometime in the fall or early spring. I've had luck improving soil this way, although not such a large area, but I'm hoping it will work fine. Should I cover the compost with landscape paper to block weeds until I'm ready to plant? Under mature trees in back: Sine this area is basically all shade all the time, albeit bright shade, the plantings will be much different than everywhere else. I'm just not sure how closely to plant near these mature trees. I'm thinking hydrangeas will do well in this spot, and I'd love to have at least a few in the garden.

Lots of natural stone can have green flecks or striations (sp?). You're right about not needing a sideboard or cabinet in that area. I was confused by your post. I wouldn't match the furnishings, they should complement one another but not all one matching set. I like the wood table. Looks a bit like weathered barn board colour. Is there enough space for something that big? They style and colour will look good with the beadboard on the walls. Instead of getting a matching sofa / loveseat combo, you may one to do a sofa and some chairs. It's hard to tell from the pictures but it would look like it would be a tight fit with both. Also putting chairs instead of loveseat gives you the option to do some coloured or patterned chairs. I love the idea of yellow, but I am biased. I love fall colours and tend to gravitate towards them. Yellows, reds, greens would all look great with rustic furniture. Definitely nothing frilly on those windows. I'm sure someone could help you out with styling them, I've never had tall windows like that so not sure where you'd put them when you have windows over the fireplace. Perhaps just shades with simple sheer drapes that run on the bottom windows only. Sheers can be coloured if you like, don't have to be white. Or you could just leave them completely bare. Trim is very easy to paint. Tape off where you don't want paint going and prime it and paint it. You may need two coats of primer. They also make a plastic product that you place on the floor when painting. It slips under the baseboard and you move it along as you paint so paint doesn't get on your floor. I've used it in the past and it worked well. So since you own some artwork already that's actually a great jumping off point for you. What I would do is figure out where you want the art and then use the colours from those peices as your accent colour or finding a complementary wall colour. Grab a bunch of paint samples that you think you'd like and compare them next to the art.

Ditto on widening the bed (to give you more room to work and to be in better proportion with the fence), planning/planting for layers, planting in bunches or drifts, soil test (at the very least, pH, which is usually done free while you wait), and building your soil. You might also consider giving the bed edge some gentle curves rather than a straight line. The remaining trees look like some additional pruning is advisable, with some of the lower branches going off at strange angles/directions. If they are Bradford pears, consider replacing them now or in the future - they are weak-branched, prone to splitting and dropping limbs, and are invasive in some regions. While you're at the library or book store for the above-mentioned book, I highly recommend The Living Landscape, Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden, by Darke & Tallamy. You might also find inspiration in The Layered Garden by David Culp. Another source of inspiration might be a botanical garden in the area. Staff is often pleased to share information about their plantings, too. Consider some of the better-behaved native plants in your region - they are usually best adapted to our environment, requiring less maintenance on your part. Redbud (all sorts of exciting cultivars), fothergilla, oakleaf hydrangea, inkberry holly (tiny rounded evergreen leaves, no sharp points!), coral bells (heuchera - also in many colors), tiarella, solomon's seal (our green native or its European cousin, the variegated, which really lights up the shade), fernleaf bleeding heart (dicentra eximia), are just some in my shady areas. If you have enough sun, baptisia, native honeysuckle (lonicera sempervirens), New England aster. I shouldn't have started :-) The dappled willow impressed me at first, then it become so common I wouldn't have it for free. Daylilies are very adaptable and will get by with about a half day's sun, and also available in an amazing range of colors, sizes, flower forms, and bloom times (early, mid and late). There are some great understory trees and shrubs that will give you color when least expected. Toad lily for fall. Our native witch hazel blooms Oct-Dec, while the Asian varieties Feb-April, depending on variety. Hellebores start blooming in February here in my NJ garden and keep going through daffodil season. Take your time, as suggested above, and try to enjoy the process of exploring the possibilities and planning. Fall and spring are good times to plant, as there is less heat stress on the plant while it is becoming established. Remember that in fall, the sun's heat is waning, but the soil is still warm enough to promote root growth. There are, however, some few plants that are slow to root, so are best transplanted in spring. That being said, I have sometimes had to move plants at the most inappropriate time and they've thrived with good site prep and attention to watering.