I read an article that says to use pea gravel. "it is easy on doggy paws and comes in colors ranging from almost white to deep browns and reddish tones. Cover any areas that get high canine (or human) traffic with pea gravel and iIn very little time grass will grow over the gravel creating a mud-proof mat for dogs, and people. In some locals the area may need to be reseeded but in my middle Tennessee back yard, the couch grass quickly covered the gravel by itself" It also mentioned it gives the grass roots a firm holding that is not easily disturbed by running doggies. I have english setters that love being out in the yard and running free chasing after birds. I love and care for my pets extremely and they are not happy walking on a leash - they want to run free and so my yard is also very muddy - and I have confined them to a half acre by seperating the yard with a picket fence on the top level so they lay on the patio or on the top level and still look down at the larger yard and they run after birds in the lower yard --muddy area...hopefully the pea gravel will work because I give a lot of baths to my dogs and my floors.... so I understand where you are coming from....I love them, so I will adapt the yard for them and still make it enjoyable for me to walk through while hanging out with them. Good Luck

It helps to have some personal experience with a different climatic zone and its plants/trees when discussing the pros and cons of how to use them and the extent of maintenance one is contemplating. I'm 100% in agreement with Maria on the preference to work with nature and choose plants that can be left to do their thing rather than fight them constantly by trimming and pruning. It helps to know that low dense canopies for desert trees are a natural response to conserve soil moisture and a reaction to climate and periodic strong winds. Limbing up such trees would require annual thinning, and may also destabilize them in high wind situations if the additional height catches the wind more. I fully realize that Yardvaark has a preference for limbing up all trees as well as controlling for height, but most homeowners don't want the work or expense, and should appreciate comments from someone who knows the trees and their habits, and points out the pros and cons. Other posters like to dig their heels in and make the case for why they are right, or how their approach works well if one is willing to do the constant ongoing maintenance. A difference in philosophy about gardening with nature or preferring to subjugate it... If one is going to propose higher canopy shade trees for such a garden, it would seem to make much more sense to suggest taller growing trees with higher canopies that wouldn't require the constant pruning. Trees such as Ulmus parvifolia might be one alternative, or an evergreen such as Pinus eldarica, or palms such as Brahea 'Clara' or Brahea armata. Some of the evergreen Sonoran/Chihuahuan desert species of Acacias might also be worth looking into for narrower canopies and taller habits. Ultimately I'd agree with Maria that the amount/type of trees as shown in the plan would completely obscure the view of the house from the street, and could be cut by half. If the OP wants full shade across the whole yard at maturity, all those full sun plant choices will need to be replaced with shade tolerant plants at 5 to 10 years out. I'd think the OP would appreciate these sorts of comments on their design as presented and come to their own conclusions about degree os shade/coverage desired and amount of maintenance required before they finalize their design. From people who have actual experience growing the plants in question in a similar environment, rather than a discussion about semantics and discussion about how trees and plants are meant to be subjugated to design philosophy of man over nature. It's one thing to do that for yourself, another thing altogether to recommend it as an approach for others to follow. It takes time or money and certainly extra sweat and fuel and dump fees to constantly trim trees and prune back too fast growing shrubs that the design improperly spaced. More economical and sustainable to pick the right plant for the right spot, and minimize the maintenance to keep it all looking good...

Hi Barefoot, thank you so much for your input. Are you saying that you think the back wall with the railroad ties has a structural issues? or the front wall with the blocks has a structural issue? We had an inspector who had been an engineer in a previous life and he didn't suggest anything was wrong with either wall when we purchased (but i now believe the guy was incompetent for other reasons). I actually was commenting that I thought the front stone block wall was not done correctly based on what a landscaper said to me... I am hoping there is nothing with the back wall (other than it being ugly and needing to be replaced some day because it is wood). So far there has been no major issues with dirt moving or anything back there. Yes, the way they tore up the yard when they built the house was disgraceful and should not have been allowed by the town. They really did a number on those trees in the back and of course that is now causing erosion and the topsoil is gone.They didn't even try to make a more reasonable incline to that hill (I think because they didn't have enough land to work with). That is a problem we probably won't have money to fix. I hope to move within a few years if possible. Since we are not planning to stay here for too long, I think we are going to concentrate our efforts on making the front yard look nice and have some curb appeal. If I can plant a few things on that hill to try and help stabilize it I don't mind doing that. I definitely don't have money for a retaining wall ... wouldn't that cost anywhere from 20-50K ? Also there is very little room back there... the yard probably has 11 or 12 feet and then it goes almost straight up.

Sedums are a wonderful succulent that have many different varieties and wonderful tiny flowers. Not sure about how fast they grow. Also sempervivums might do well. Another free flowering plant that LOVES California is Ice Plant (delosperma). But it can be invasive and sometimes unwanted. Q