The first thing required in order to get good feedback that is specific to your yard and not just general good advice, is to make sure that people understand how is laid out and how things fit together. From the photos you've provided, I think I get a good idea of the flavor and character of the yard, but I don't get a good feel for its organization and layout. Instead of taking shots that aim in all different directions, it's a much better idea to stand at the center of one end of the yard (such as near the post that is closest to the door) and take a series of slightly overlapping pictures, leaving no gaps, all from that same point of view that pan the entire yard from left to right. That way, we can see everything and how it fits together as if we were standing there on site. What you'd be showing us here is the wide view of the back yard as taken from the deck. We'd see from the left neighbor to the right neighbor and everything in between.

I can assure you, from what I've seen so far, that yard has a great deal more potential than you believe it might have. In order to assess it properly, you're going to need to do a clean-up and get rid of anything undesirable. Then you can see what you're really working with. Blackberries can be difficult to control. Keeping them out of your yard will be much easier than trying to deal with controlling them in your yard, so if you don't want them in your yard, you've got to line up the artillery and get on top of the battle and eradicate them. English ivy on the other hand can be an extremely useful plant in some very difficult situations (shade/slope). So rather than trying to get rid of it, I'd plan on using it for the "lawn," wherever you want lawn. Since it is already in the neighbor's yard and will never give up on its quest to enter yours, it would be a whole lot easier to accept and embrace. I've dealt with it first hand and know that it can be successfully and relatively easily managed. It also happens to be quite good looking. If you look at yours and say "No it isn't!" I suggest it is all the weedy and junky things that are intermixed within it. Any plot that is ivy only is going to look manicured by the default nature of the plant. One "heads up" ... English ivy does not mix well with wood you don't want destroyed (fence and house.) Keep it off these things or it is certain to cause problems. The easiest way would be with Round-up (glyphosate.) With a yard like this, a sprayer (preferably back-pack) and a jug of weedkiller is going to be a necessity. Wherever ivy is already climbing something it shouldn't, kill it with herbicide and forget about it for a while. It can be excruciatingly tedious trying to physically scrape ivy off of wood. If you forget about it, it will just fall off in a few weeks and join in the merry litter pile.

You may have a few weedy plants that you need to dig out. (I can't see what's there.) But the rest "weeds", except ivy, cut to the ground and kill with herbicide when it's in the re-growth phase, not more than a foot or two tall. It will probably take a summer of periodic cutting with hand tools, regrowing and respraying in order to get everything under reasonable control.

some ideas

While I generally do not disagree with Yard's advice, IME the appropriateness of leaving ivy in place will depend heavily on where you are located. Can you provide a geographic location?

Also, English ivy is highly resistant to herbicides, so spraying with RoundUp (and most other common, homeowner-obtainable products) is pretty much a wasted effort. Living in the PNW where ivy is a major invasive problem (the "kudzu" of the Northwest :-)), we have learned the hard way the most efficient way of dealing with or removing ivy and unfortunately, using chemicals just doesn't work!

btw, I will also testify that ivy and blackberries are able to coexist very happily together. It is extremely common to see both growing madly together in untended gardens and wooded areas here. Blackberries are also extremely difficult to remove using just chemicals. You may have some serious physical labor ahead of you if you wish to clean out the existing growth and replant with something less invasive and more garden worthy!

GG, I'm not saying blackberries and ivy can't coexist, but that usually, people don't want blackberries taking over their yard, since their landscape value is limited. If they're there, they'll tend toward taking over. I think it's better just to get rid of them.

One can control where one sails one's boat on the ocean, but one cannot control where the ocean goes. If English ivy already exists in an area, it would be a battle (as it would be with many thriving groundcovers) to use a different plant, and then try to keep the two from intermixing.

Since English ivy CAN be killed with herbicides, I think the difference of opinion about how sensitive it is may boil down specifics. Since Round-Up cannot kill unless a certain concentration of it is delivered to the roots via foliage, that may explain poor results that some claim. Spraying too small a portion of a plant may do little to kill it. This is actually nothing but a major advantage in managing ivy. It allows weeds near it to be killed without killing the ivy. I can guaranty though, that if the right recipe of weedkiller is used (from homeowner obtainable products) ivy is going to die, if it is sprayed completely. Like many perennials with developed root systems, it will probably take more than a single application. As I mentioned previously, weedkiller can be used to "trim" the edge of ivy in any utility situation, such as along a fence, alley or building.

Where English ivy already exists, and one chooses to not use it as their groundcover, if they need a groundcover, then they are choosing to be like Holland and keep the sea from entering their land. They will need to build dikes and steadfastly maintain them against the ever raging ocean. While doing that is a choice that can result in something different that is nice, it also requires ceaseless vigilance for which there is a definite cost. It boils down to how much effort one wishes to expend in order to achieve a specific result. If man were to disappear now, for awhile, and later repopulate the earth, they would simply accept what exists as part of Nature. English ivy would already be there and people would just figure out how to live with it. Instead, today, there is a nationalistic-like movement that rejects thriving, useful plants primarily or solely on account of their not being established prior to the arrival of man. That strategy may just as well be working against mans' interests.

This is probably not the best place for the English ivy debate but its resistance to most herbicides is very well documented. And the reason is the very thick and waxy cuticle ivy leaves possess prevents the penetration of the herbicide into the plant tissue without some very specialized additional adjuvants that breakdown that cuticle. And with an herbicide that depends on translocation to kill the root system, if it is not absorbed by the plant tissue it comes into contact with - the leaves - it's not gonna do much good :-) A much better approach is to cut back the topgrowth with a string trimmer and apply the herbicide directly to the cut stems. Still not 100% effective but better.

And my point about the blackberries and ivy growing well together is that where they currently exist in partnership you will need to remove them both in order to control either, otherwise they will both reappear. And even that is no guarantee as the birds will very helpfully replant them for you!!

I realize you might feel differently based on your experience in your neck of the woods, but some invasive plants have a huge economic impact as well as an almost irreparable effect on native ecology that I have difficulty countenancing. Because English ivy is such a massive problem in my area, I cannot in good conscience condone its use locally. That's why I asked for a geographic location from the OP. If it was diligently and properly maintained (never allowed to flower or set seed and all runners and rhizomes cut back 2-3 times a year) that is one thing but that is seldom the case. In those situations, it is better to remove and replace with something that does not try to take over the world. (btw, English ivy is a prime rodent habitat, which many prefer not to encourage in an urban or suburban garden!!)

caitland622 I think the first question you need to ask yourself is what do you want to use the space for. That answer will help facilitate design responses. For full easy access use of the space, some retaining walls/terracing will likely be needed.

If this were my backyard, I would be most concerned about making the space usable and coherent. You mentioned maybe removing the stairs, and that may help, but removing the awkward deck is probably easier than trying to fix it. Clear out everything that is not part of your vision, and start fresh with your contractor/designer to plan for spaces that suit the way you want to use them.

Maybe unrelated, but I notice the wet and mossy areas on the lower level. Be sure you have control of water, wherever it falls. Make sure it is not pooling near or flowing toward the house. Gutters and drains, if needed, should be considered before embarking on paving, retaining walls, or other permanent structures.

I do think your back garden has tremendous potential. While slope presents challenges, it also offers opportunities. Good luck!

P.S. Contractors are pretty clever figuring how to get their equipment where needed.

In your situation I would create a garden to be viewed from above. What view you want to look at is up to you. (Is it an herb garden, a zen garden, a rocky slope studded with dwarf evergreens, or an exuberant mix of shrubs and perennials, a water feature? Browse "gardens on a slope in Photos" for inspiration.) Install a solid path for maintenance leading down into it on a diagonal -- the garden plan itself will determine where the path will be needed. The path may be a major design element, or one that melts into the plants. Good preparation, dense planting, and liberal use of mulch will shut down the weeds -- but that assumes starting from an already clean slate. Get out the industrial strength herbicide with gloves and gas mask! (exaggerating)

It seems your primary focus needs to be on making a family/kid friendly space level with the ground floor. Don't remove the back stairs or the orange deck with roof framing unless they do not work with your final plan. The plan comes first! The orange deck has good kid potential in my eyes, even in bad weather and viewing potential as kiminpl mentions above.

Using what you have, I can see joining the orange deck with the level area formed by the ivy covered retaining wall, making it all a joined level space off the back of the house. That may require a new wall or new section of wall. Hard to tell without knowing the steepness of the slope and how things line up better.

Leave a generous access to the slope below whatever you do. You can create a space for herbs and vegetables down there. How steep the slope is and how comfortable it is to walk it now will determine how it should be done. Maybe you will need another terrace.

As for the ivy you can remove it as needed. In the mean time ignore it. Just keep it up to your standards of tidy.

Slopes have great potential for viewing, separate garden rooms, ponds and falls, all kinds of options. Check out my recent post 'Horticultural Paints' for the view from above.

all I was trying to say was that you need to do a clean up. But in the doing, don't start out by "cleaning up" the ivy. It may turn out to be something you will need and want. If it turns out otherwise, clean it up later. I wasn't implying that it needed to be a centerpiece ... or even any piece. Just that you wouldn't want to throw it away only to need it back later.

Oops .... now that it's been pointed out, I see the pictures overlap. And it instantly makes more sense. I thought the yard was larger and pieces were missing from the photos. It would be nice to have some tall screening between your deck and the side neighbors' decks. And maybe a little foliage above the side fences in strategic area.

The covered deck would seem vastly more likeable if it was integrated better with any other floor, so that there was flow ... not trip hazards. I would explore the possibility of covering the concrete slab with another material and synching it with the deck (if it is to remain.) Or rebuilding the slab. Much of what you can do will depend on your budget. If you integrate the covered deck will depend on its condition, too. If your budget is modest, you'll want to preserve what you can and make the fewest changes making sure to accomplish the most necessary ones. You'll hire a contractor, but who will do the design work? If it's yourself, you'll need to start exploring ideas on a PLAN.

If any situation calls out for the input from an onsite visit from a garden design professional, this is it!! They can advise on the feasibility of building a retaining wall and how that might impact drainage and water flow and how best to utilize and access the remaining slope. This is not something that can be effectively addressed online as we cannot see what is under all those weeds, nor evaluate the soils, drainage and water flow nor even get a firm sense of how steep the slope is. A retaining wall of any reasonable height also requires engineered drawings. To increase any sort of level area is going to involve a significant cost, so keep that in mind. Personally, I would remove the second, ground level deck as it is a major eyesore at the present and just inhibits the design possibilities.

And unless one has a lot of experience in landscape design, I doubt this is a project the average home gardener can handle easily.

Gardengal48, I think I have to agree with you that this cannot be effectively addressed online. I just wanted to see some ideas, and to get myself motivated. It sounds like a retaining wall of some sort is probably inevitable. Obviously I want to keep cost down so I am wondering to myself if a proper landscaper/excavator would have the know how to get the job, or do I really need to hire a landscape designer? How do I determine whether my landscape designer has the expertise to really understand landscape drainage? Seems like a geotechnical engineer job actually. Just thinking out loud here. I guess I am not 100% sure who to call first and what sort of design costs I should expect.

I have exactly the same sort of question re: what variety of expert do I need for a short retaining wall but no massive landscape design problem?

This is not an easy question to answer, as the industry is unregulated and skill sets and experience can run the gamut. Ideally, you want a designer/landscaper that can both evaluate the positioning and impact of a retaining wall while still incorporating a good design element into the project. A design/build firm that has experience with walls and hardscaping or a freelance designer that works closely with skilled contractor with similar hardscape experience. With a retaining wall, it is all about the design and installation.

At the very least, I would call around to get a couple of onsite consultations to provide some clarification and direction. These should be of nominal expense and in some cases, free.

In the overall scheme of things, design fees are pretty insignificant. The primary expense/cost of landscaping is associated with the labor involved with the installation. And a retaining wall is pretty labor intensive......they aren't cheap.

While you deciding what to do, I would add a couple of inexpensive safety measures. The missing bottom step on the stairs are a safety hazard, and the deck needs a safety fence of some kind. I would most likely remove most of the overhead structure (which from the photos don't seem to have much function and don't enhance the aesthetics) and repurpose it to support the safety rails, and then stain or paint the whole thing to match the house. It still won't be a thing of beauty, but you won't have to worry about someone walking off the edge and it won't look like quite such an afterthought if it matches the house. Add some large pots of bright flowers and it will be more homey feeling.

"... or do I really need to hire a landscape designer?" "Design" is the thinking through portion of making a landscape. A landscape designer/landscape architect is the generalist that has the ability to visualize possibilities and lay the groundwork for making them happen. A "landscaper/excavator" would have the muscle to do the work ... but it would be absolutely "hit or miss," (depending on the skills that they've acquired outside of the typical) that they could create work that takes into account all the other aspects of a finished space. They may have not an iota of design skill more than yourself, Caitlan. In general, I find that subcontractors tend to focus strictly on their particular aspect of the job and ignore most, if not all other things. If such a person is "in charge of" design (when they really don't have the training or experience for it), they can make a complete disaster of a finished space. It is not much of a savings to to save a small percentage of the total job cost only to end up with a project one has a lot of misgivings about.

Determine your true budget right up front. It will determine how far you can go and what you can do. If the budget is not adequate for professional assistance, your options are to DIY or cut aspects of the project. You can even DIY design but it requires legwork, learning and sifting through advice in order to separate out what is useful from what is not.

Design fees can vary widely depending on who you select, the going rate in your area and how involved the project may be. It is impossible to speculate on the design costs involved without firsthand knowledge of the situation.

Depending on the height of the wall considered, it may require engineered drawings and permitting. Different municipalities will have different requirements and at this point, from our remote location, it is just not possible to determine how tall a wall is necessary. Otherwise, a skilled contractor with retaining wall experience will be able to install one that is very unlikely to fail.