At the moment, I am considering using a triangle shade sail or two to cover and define the area and putting some pavers down with rock in between. That area in between is a "prime" area -- very important, so I am taking my time to consider what I want there. I may put a bench, or a water feature. I will probably do some plantings in front (perhaps a palo verde tree). As far as the doorway -- you are probably right. However, I will need an electrician and a plumber I think to accomplish it, so -- more expense. I'm not in too much of a hurry for that. This post was edited by Violet.West on Wed, Oct 2, 13 at 11:48

Toolbelt, what a neat idea. I may find a quiet corner somewhere and do just that. I do need to put in some trees for shade in the pastures...and this is not much more work at all to do. Hmmmm. Thanks! Thegarden, thanks for the welcome back. It's been a while, and I'm glad to be here for sure. I just am so excited about what I can see for this place...indeed a bit of heaven. I absolutely have photos, and will be taking more as things progress.first priority is the shop conversion into a barn for my horses...indeed want them home ASAP. But that is about half done, and spring is looming...so I've been dreaming about getting the front yard done. And the veggie garden too. Diane, it got pretty bad in Los Angeles for me. I acquired a dangerous stalker on top of everything else, and it was always the plan to come to Oregon eventually...and the housing market did very well by me...so here I am. Btw...please forgive the occasional typo and strange wording...I'm on my phone and its both difficult to type on as well as autocorrect believes it knows the words I'm using. Sigh. It's going to be my little bit of heaven...My nieces and nephew are nearby and its been just wonderful to be close to family and be part of their lives. Nephews basketball team just won their division championship and I was there. Oldest niece is taking riding lessons with my new trainer, and my littlest niece loves to come to the farm and go wandering...attended by the dogs. Brother, nephew and I are doing the renovations ourselves...and Sister in law loves the peace and quiet when I have her family here. Lol. In re New Dawn, yes I'm aware she might take the fence down. She'll be in a place where that is acceptable if it happens...but I'm hoping I will be able to keep on top of it/her to prevent that. And that's the reason she's not at the corner of the house or garage or barn...lol. Have a great day! Best Herding Cats

Donna: Yes, we have another kitten, Malcom. He's an all black Maine Coon. We have kittens because I found the tail and leg of the best cat I've ever had, a mutt called Moontzie, in my front yard, the victim of a superior predator. When I was at Stoneguard training in Chicago weeks ago, I got a call from the vet that was boarding our 13-year-old diabetic Charlie, that he was having seizures. I told her to put him down immediately. The lanai shelf is the closest these boys will ever get to the outside world.

Thank you all for your responses! I've put down the fertilizer, and backing away slowly, haha. Thank you for Rose Tone advice Sheila. I DO have some, and will plan to just start with that and work from there for next Spring. Good to know that the packets of fungi aren't really necessary here. Its just an added expense that I would rather not deal with. I do have the Espoma Bio-Starter that I had used for some other plantings, that has Micorrhizae in it as well, I believe. Lilyfinch and : no pups here, but 3 very social and pampered cats! We affectionately refer to the screened in porch as the "catio" and it has a kerosene tank temporarily placed in front of the door because the big one learned he could bust out a couple of days ago.....yeesh. They prefer to cause destruction to the blooms once they are brought inside. We do have rabbits/deer/coyotes etc, and that could explain why I have noticed some digging beside my plants recently. Good thing to put in the back of my mind. In regards to sun, I did try to really map out the sunnier areas of the yard prior to planting, and paid attention to offerings that said they did better in a little less sun. This pic is a bit deceiving since it was taken around 9PM, but this is actually the part of the yard with the most sun. From around noon onward it gets full-on sunlight. To the one side of the grill is a Wollerton Old Hall that has been an absolute bloom machine.(This was another mistake. I envisioned a rose climbing the chimney, and I have planted a variety that simply won't get tall enough to do that, I'm afraid), so I guess they are getting some decent sun? I don't have too much area to plant in direct sun due to neighbors' fences along with trees in their yards, along with the basketball court in the backyard, which is annoying. I do have a part of fence line on one side of the house that gets early am sun until about 3pm, that I am utilizing as well. I have Lady of Shallot there and Distant Drums there, and it is also where the Bliss and Quicksilver are headed once they arrive from Heirloom. I don't want to over-crowd the area though......see what I mean when I said I went a little crazy? On the other side of the toy chest are 2 Alnwicks and a Sweet Madameoiselle that seem to be doing fairly well. I have Falstaff and Earth Angel Potted up on the other side of the house in massive pots, along with a PCoM that I bought as a smaller band from Etsy and probably should have potted as opposed to putting into the ground, and a Red Eden Climber. That spot gets good sun from morning until around 3 or 4 as well. The other corners are pretty heavily shaded, unfortunately. Thank you Diane for the tip regarding mulching. I will be sure to pull some back tonight. Does that rule then not apply during the winter prep, as I am then to pile the mulch around the base of the plant, and make sure that the bud union is buried, correct? Thanks again for your responses everyone. This whole process has been a real joy for me, and I'm loving learning as I go. Sounds like I need to sit back, water, and enjoy my handi-work instead of fretting so much.