While I think that the "FAQ" as outlined by swanoir was presented tongue in cheek ('the humus'), many of the subsequent comments and/or links to threads that could/should be included in a FAQ were presented in a more serious tone. And maybe they do make sense as a foundation to a real LD forum FAQ. But I've also sensed something else in these comments that may contribute to the apparent lack of communication between new posters seeking advice and those that regularly frequent this forum and offer it. And that is that the long checklist provided by Miss R must be (or should be) answered in detail before posting. Well, of course not! But it is definitely something worth reviewing and giving some thought to. This checklist, or something very similar, is what most designers utilize when first meeting with a prospective client. It gives them a feeling for what the client wants to do with the property, how they intend to use it, what they hope to get out of it and how much effort (time/$$) are they are intending to put into it. Hopefully, reviewing an outline or checklist such as this could help to refine and focus some of those blank slate questions and even educate those new posters totally unfamiliar with the process the degree of complexity, the number of variables and exactly what is involved in the formulation of a landscape design. Even DIY landscape texts intended for the homeowner with no previous design or landscaping experience offer similar checklists to get one started thinking about the process. Obviously, this is overkill for those questions that are more issue-specific, but I think very appropriate for those that are much broader and far less focused.

"This property requires both architectural and landscape architectural remediation. Planting alone is not going to solve its aesthetic needs." DD I agree. Usually, the house is the 800 pound gorilla that is complete so as designers we are left to respond to it. The solutions above are doing just that - responding to the hand that is dealt. Obviously, not everyone can afford to totally renovate the architecture especially just after buying the property. There are lots of "remediation" possibilities that can be done to the building without breaking the bank. If the context sucks, change the context. Right now the context is a flat building with a row of windows on grade. Usually the house is what it is and we have no problem with it, so we make the plants respond to the building because it is the strongest element in the view. One way to mitigate that is to make changes directly to the architecture. Another is to introduce other strong elements that reduce the strength of the flat building in that landscape. That can be done with a sledgehammer (figuratively) or with several nudges. Plantings are not only elements on their own but are support material for other elements. Much like plantings on the building shown above are to affect the building, plantings on introduced elements other than the building can strengthen those as well. The key here is that if you can't change the 800 pound gorilla, you can overcome it with a combination of things that weigh more than 800 pounds.

Where Landscape fabrics that are WOVEN of polypropylene (like a cheaper version of trampoline mat) have a use is in SEPARATING stone mulch from the soil below. It's useful because it's almost a sure bet that at some point down the road, someone is going to want to REMOVE the stones. If they are just laid on bare soil it's going to be a lot harder to do. (The cheaper, especially rubbery fabric will not work at all to do this as it will break into little pieces as one tries to remove it.) Wood based mulch doesn't need to be removed because it turns into soil over a period of time. For a short time (one year) it may seem like landscape fabric works because wind-blown and water-washed silt has not yet accumulated on top of the fabric. Once it does, weeds will grow again. Many commercial landscapes were created on a site scraped clean and built with new landscapes installed at the beginning. They were professionally maintained and weeds never had a chance to establish. However, if their care was abandoned, weeds would quickly move in. Many homes, however, are neglected and weeds are rampant. Once they establish, they continually make thousands of seeds capable of sprouting for years in some cases. (I'm still pulling up seeds from Grandpa Ott morning glory that hasn't grown here in two years. Regret planting that!)

Hi Melanie! So, a common way for placing furniture is known as the “floating” furniture arrangement. This keeps the furniture from being against walls and it allows more walking space from one room to the other. This type of arrangement is necessary especially when you have a living room that is as large as your space. This also gives you the opportunity to have more intimate seating rather than seating that can tend to be disconnected and awkward if seating were to be placed against walls within the space. For an example, what if you decide to place furniture against the walls in your space? This is going to make the living space become less functional and awkward due to the furniture being placed far apart from each other. And it will cause people to feel disconnected from one another. Or, this will cause someone to have to move from one area of the room to another, in order to get close to the person they are trying to socialize with. In realty, your space is very large in length, so disconnection between furniture and people could be of concern. Therefore, in order to avoid the -“leaning in to talk or hear someone” scenario, or having to move from one seat to another to converse with others, you should consider furniture arrangements, such as floating furniture, that will allow comfort and good conversation. You also have a beautiful view from your windows, so it is best to avoid placing your furniture directly in front of them. I would recommend placing your tv near the wall that has the smallest window. By understanding where your tv will go, this will serve as a focal point that you want your furniture to be centered around.