Juliann, I'll post a site from the UK that has pictures of various types of gardens. This link goes to their Cottage Garden which they say is "contrived to look uncontrived". There are many other types of gardens there that might provide inspiration. Which plants you choose depends on which climate zone you are in. I'm in zone 3 so am somewhat limited in what I can grow. I'll post a pic of what I call my wild bird garden. It's an area in my large garden that has the birdfeeder and birdbath. I allow the flowers to go to seed for the birds so they self-seed. This area has changed over many years altho I initially seeded shasta daisies (the butterflies love them) and yarrow and planted a few established perennials. The yarrow seeds I planted were a mix of red, pink, and white, but the white resembles the wild yarrow we have so we pull it out and it's mostly now only tones of pinks and red. There are also Lamb's Ears because they seed all over my garden but I leave them in this wild area (the bees love them). There are a few other plants, a pink mallow that's 'weedy' but it fills the space and is quite pretty and we also have several lilacs here. Near that area there is also a drift of common old irises which we've allowed to spread. They are in the lower part of the rockery and I will eventually weed some of them out as the bloom time is not very long. If I were deliberately planting a wildflower garden I would not buy a wildflower mix as there could be invasive plants in it. I planted a mix about 14 years ago and still have Dame Hesperis (Dame's Rocket) altho pull out many every year and try to dead-head them ASAP before they seed. It's quite a weed in warmer climates. I would choose seeds of plants I like that are hardy but not invasive and mix them together. Another option is to plant in swaths with various plants and grasses hardy to your area. Keep in mind the moisture requirements of the plants as you decide. The area where I have shastas, mallow, and yarrow needs little watering and only a spring weeding so is easy care. Here is a link that might be useful: The Garden House

Thanks for your appreciation for my approach, s8us89ds, and I like the the points you have made about opportunities to create habitat and ecosystems. (Disclosure: I am a restoration ecologist, by profession, and this is what I do, even at home: create habitat.) I've observed that birds, in particular, find my yard more a more useful and better place to hang out than elsewhere in the neighborhood, which is a 1970s tract development with lots generally in the 1/5- to 1/3- acre range. This is a big plus, aesthetically, for me, along with the visual pleasure of the tapestry of chaparral plants. The other great advantage to taking this approach, as you point out, is that it is inexpensive and can pretty much be done by anyone who can dig a minimal planting hole in unimproved soil (what you want when planting natives) while standing on a steep slope. Blanchette, a bit of advice, with reference to "craning in" large oaks or olives. Planting a relatively modest-sized tree and letting it establish from a younger age invariably works out better, in my experience, than the instant (but generally short-lived) gratification of installing a large tree. Beyond the eye-popping expense of buying and installing mega-trees, there are often major, years-long problems with establishment that need to be skillfully managed when using such trees. Fine if you are up to doing that, but often a disappointment. Case in point: about 10 years ago, a neighbor a few houses up my street had a very large olive tree (was at least the 300-gallon size) installed (using a crane, etc.) in his front yard about the same time I planted a gallon-sized olive in my back yard. His tree has developed significant root problems and it has lost two-thirds of its canopy; the tree is, at best, barely surviving and unhealthy -- not to mention disfigured because of major branches having to be amputated. The olive tree I planted is now larger than his (in fact, is currently about the same size he started with) and quite healthy. I personally won't plant anything larger than a gallon-sized plant and consider 5-gallon the upper limit.

It sounds like the area is a bit distant from the areas where people usually would be. I think it's best use might not be as a place to go, but simply for the development of an enhanced view. If you wanted it to go in that direction, you'd need to show it as part of a single, broad panoramic view so we could see how it appears from the area where it would most likely be seen. To do that, don't use the panoramic function of the camera as the resulting image would be too small. Instead, stand that the location where the view is the most important and capture a series of slightly overlapping, consecutive pictures that span the entire area from far left to far right, including the pool and patio (so we can see how everything fits together.)

I need a lot more info a to scale plan of the space and is the sun room staying ?IMO it is poorly constructed and not what you want. It seems to be part of the living space so I am a bit confused Post the plan of the whole area this townhouse sits on showing where the actual townhouse sits and how the sun room relates to that . All meaurements clearly marked and show where the neighbor is that you mention. Can this "room" be removed there are always rules in townhouse properties so check those out .The fence I see seems to be in an odd place so is the area in fron of theat fence useable property or is the end of your patio the end of the property I really need a plan