Northwest Corner with Cabbage Palms and Philodendron:

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North Fence Line with Pittosporum Hedge and Jasmine / Ivy base:

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John, there are limitations with getting advice through an online forum. First, those giving advice must understand well what you are asking about. The best way is to limit the focus of questions to a specific, complete area and discuss it fully before moving on to other areas, one at a time. Secondly, you must convey the COMPLETE SCENE, not a collection of parts. Here, I'm confused because it seems we are dealing with several areas of the yard and the pictures add to the confusion because they are all looking in different directions from different viewpoints. I get a feel for the overall flavor, but not an understanding of how it all fits together. In planning landscaping, one must consider all those things within the space, and also those things that surround the space. I know here there's a pool, but we can barely see it. We should see it and its surroundings completely.

If you're going to try to do the design work yourself, you'll eventually need to provide a base plan that you will draw all the proposed landscape work on. It would be infinitely helpful in getting us to understand the yard layout, if you draw and post the base plan now (major features without any proposed work.)

The way to do the photographs is to stand somewhere that you can easily view the complete subject scene. This is usually a location on the opposite side of the space where the scene is viewable. Along this opposite side of the yard, place the camera in line with the center of the scene and keep it there for all photos. Then, take a series of slightly overlapping photos while you pan the complete scene from left to right. Post the photos. They will show how everything in the scene fits together. Don't try to substitute a computer generated panorama because the end result will be so tiny and distorted that no one will understand it.

If I was U, I would pick the most important area that your want to deal with and start a new thread for that area alone, including new pictures. If u don't want to do that, you could add on here, but I'd redirect focus to that one specific area.

You probably got a survey when you purchased your property. It will show the basic features: house footprint, walks & drives, property line, easements, etc., all to scale. You could redraw it, or the relevant portions, at a larger scale, adding any important features not shown (tree trunks & patio additions for example.) Do not add any extra features; keep the drawing simple and clean. Here's an en example of the transition between survey, base plan and planting concept. (I added the circular drive, stoop, steps, walk and retaining wall, all of which are not shown on the original survey. What we're looking for here is the base plan.

The toddler fence is semi transparent so doesn't amount to much of an obstacle. We're not looking for pictures of a glorious finished product, but of what exists now, in a way that is understandable.

(This plan was drawn using MS Paint, a built-in program of any Windows computer. It has graph "paper" and measuring rules that can be switched on and off in the View menu. However, it requires a touchscreen and stylus in order to be used easily. It is not as versatile as CAD but is sufficient for simple plans. The alternative is real pencil and real graph paper ... intuitive and works great!)

Here is my attempt as the base plan as described above. I started with my survey, cleaned out the superfluous measurements and text and added in the trees. The shaded grey areas are the paver walkways and fire pit circle.

Apologies for the white boxes, they don't appear in the editing program I am using, only once I upload to Houzz.

I hope this gives some context to the photos above.

I didn't have a chance today to take a series of photos from a single point but will do so tomorrow morning and post here.

Here is a series of photos of the area I would most like to address.

It is the south half of the yard around the fire pit / circular paver patio and between the patio and my back fence. The photos are taken from the gate into the back yard from the driveway. I am initially facing south and turning to my right (or toward the north). These were shot at 9:00 AM so the pavers are still damp from the morning dew.

In this photo, you can see the tangerine tree and one of the laurel oaks as well as some of the palms that i am inheriting from my neighbor to the south,

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The area behind the wall is my main concern, happy to provide additional photos but you can see the current condition in photos 1-4 of my initial post.

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I would like to keep the boxwoods to the left / west of the path in this photo and create a low hedge with a gap in the middle that would serve as an entryway to the back section of the yard. You can see some of the additional oaks that are along the back fence as well.

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The bed in the right portion of this photo continues to the north and ends at the pool deck where there is a very large queen palm. There are also 2 citrus trees in this bed that I am going to take out as they don't get enough sun. The agaves in this bed can also go.

You can also see the wood deck in the center of the photo and the large magnolia in the top of the photo.

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I hope these help and provide the context / view you were hoping for, and would be happy to take any additional photos that would help describe the current situation. Thanks again for your time and reply.

Let me correct what I said earlier about limiting to a single area. I re-read your initial post and see that we're talking about just the back yard, which is fine. I was thrown by the photos looking in various directions and not being able to correlate them. (It's a fault of looking more than reading!)

In all the years I've been advising on this forum, the most difficult thing seems to be giving directions on how to take pictures in order to get the best views. There always seems to be some necessary bits of information I leave out. While the last batch of pictures is helpful, more information is needed. It would be best if the camera is lined up near the vicinity of the center of the LENGTH of the scene, along one side, as opposed to somewhere near the scene's ends.

The back yard is smaller than I initially thought and it has me wondering if your desire for a turf play area within it is practical. There seems to be plenty of paved space for play, plus the pool, so it doesn't seem that a child would complain much about having this back yard. Combined with the fact of it looking shady, and considering the amount of space plants actually require in order to do their jobs and look their best, it seems more realistic if turf play can happen somewhere other than this back yard. The other goal of a "back yard that looks awesome" seems more practical.

"I would like to keep the boxwoods to the left / west of the path in this photo and create a low hedge with a gap in the middle that would serve as an entryway to the back section of the yard." And what would be in this back section of the yard? What is its purpose? And why would it be separated from other parts of the back yard?

Typically (and for good reason) most back yards are arranged somewhat like a theater. The patio/deck would be where the audience sits and the perimeter of the back yard would be the stage/backdrop. This is generally the primary view and orientation one thinks about the back yard from. Given that the patio and deck area also allows views back toward the house, a secondary back yard view faces inward, using the house as a backdrop. A foundation planting here generally helps improve the look of the house. Generally, one would not want to place view obstructing plants near the center of the back yard, but keep them near the perimeter.

"The area behind the wall is my main concern..." I think you mean the fence ... and the view beyond of your neighbor's building ....? If that's the case, you'll need screening that extends above the fence top. It's usually the case that tall plants require a certain degree of width and take up yard space. This is sometimes helped by using tree forms -- where the bottom limbs are removed -- so as to limit the space the plant takes up. How it would best be done would depend on how the overall planting scheme plays out. Some sort of shade tolerant "hedge" is needed.

Thanks again for another thoughtful reply. I will take another group of photos from the central location and post tomorrow. In the mean time, I'll answer a couple of the questions you've asked and ask a couple of my own.

"I would like to keep the boxwoods to the left / west of the path in this photo and create a low hedge with a gap in the middle that would serve as an entryway to the back section of the yard."

And what would be in this back section of the yard?

A shady level area for the kids to play catch / have a picnic / roll around / put a tent, etc. It isn't a large enough area to get a soccer game going, but they could spread out a blanket or have a playhouse. The pool, pool deck and wood deck will be good for play, but are hard. I am fine with taking out the boxwoods.

"The area behind the wall is my main concern..." I think you mean the fence ... and the view beyond of your neighbor's building ....?

I did mean the area behind the low perimeter wall on my paver patio, between the paver patio and the back fence. You can see this area in photos 1, 2 and 3 in my initial post. This is where I envision the play area I've described above. A green screen to obscure my fence and neighbor's building would be great and I'd love suggestions for what might work well in that capacity for this area (would podocarpus macrophyllus work?) but I'd also be fine with planting beds along the fence and still seeing the fence and building if that allows me to create the play area.

I think an ideal location for the foundation planting you referred to would be the area just to the left / south of the camera position in the base plan. The only existing plant in this bed that I am attached to is the queen palm in the north end. This will be visible from the wood deck and from the fire pit area and would be a good focal point for the theater view you've described. I would love suggestions about plants that would work in this planting.

No rush on pictures. (I could barely get to this forum today!)

The "play area" sounds pretty high on the priority list. The conflict that seems to loom is that this does not look like (yet) a very good yard for growing grass, which would be the defacto play area material (that one would spread a blanket on.) There is not a grass substitute -- groundcover -- that would do a good job of being a play area. This is leading me to think that a play area here may be best made out of artificial turf, since it has no dependency on light. The thing to keep in mind about that is that installing it is similar to installing a paver patio. It's a lot of work and expense. It requires a tamped base like a paver patio.

The foundation planting would anywhere along the house that it is needed.

I was able to get some pics before work this morning, and have posted them below. As you can see, things are still damp and it is overcast but hopefully these help provide the requested information and give you a good sense of the "scene" as you described. You can't really see them in the photos, but I have string lights hung in 2 large triangles over the fire pit and dining table that provide light in the evenings and define the spaces. I'd like to keep these. I'd be glad to provide any additional photos that help in visualizing the space.

I had considered installing artificial turf in the "Play Area" but the prep and installation expense put that out of reach. Also, once the baby and toddler become bigger kids, I imagine building a fort, playhouse or shed in this space so the grassy area would be somewhat temporary (3-4 years). The beds surrounding the area fire pit patio and play area and the foundation planting closer to the house will be more permanent.

If I level the area and use good topsoil, is there a grass that would do ok for a few seasons here? I know the St. Augustine, which I have in my front yard, won't.

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We are a little less than a mile from the beach, so I'd like to integrate some tropical and native coastal plants where possible.

Having 2 young kids also limits the time I have for gardening, so I'd like to create a yard that will be relatively low maintenance.

Any guidance on plant varieties / species and placement would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for joining the photos and for your additional suggestion of using mulch in the play area. Assuming I go forward with that, I would still want to level the area with dirt first, correct? What should be my next step in the design process?

It is very difficult to see subtleties of grade in the photos, and commonly, the word "level" is misused. That being the case, explain what you are trying to accomplish with "leveling." One thing, there must be some overall slope to the yard or you're going to suffer drainage problems during heavy rains. You would not want to undo this overall (probably very slight) slope. Maybe you are trying to ... blend, smooth ...? If your answer/explanation can include a photo(s) that makes what you are trying to overcome, clear, please add it.

PLANNING is for calculating the future now so that it fits when the time comes. Since the play set is a known addition, figure out now what it is, so that its surroundings can be made to work with it. Also, it's time to figure out what else is unsatisfactory, and how it might be resolved. Determine where visual screening is needed.

I think you mentioned possible removal of the pittosporum hedge & resodding. Hmmm.... I don't think you've responded yet to my comments about this not being a good yard for grass. This is a critical point to be reconciled with. You've also mentioned podocarpus in lieu of the pitts. It's not a shade plant and no smaller than the pitts.

picture is a question of screening and if the tree is a keeper...

The area in photos 1, 2 and 3 of my initial post are what I'd like to level out so it is even with the paver walkway. The ground in this area is muddy and I think some additional dirt and compacting would make it a better foundation for mulch and the perimeter beds. The tree you mentioned is not a keeper and will most likely be removed along with 2 additional very small oaks along the back fence. I don't see the need for screening in the areas you've highlighted as I'm not averse to seeing my fence.

The pittosporum hedge that I'd like to remove is in the area to the north of the wooden deck and runs north / south along the back fence line. You can see some photos of these bushes in my initial post. This area gets direct sun for 5-6 hours per day so I think it would support grass and the pittosporum hedges. The current hedges make the area between the hedges and the pool fence feel claustrophobic so I'd like to open this up. There is also a 6 inch step down from the pool deck to the grassy area and this is a safety hazard that needs to be fixed.

"as I'm not averse to seeing my fence." ... I was talking about screening above the fence.

Where paving (not deck) meets soil, their surfaces should be flush. At the pittosporum area, I see and agree you need to add soil next to the walk .... but not to "level" the area per se. It needs to slope away from the walk so that the area drains. If you get 5-6 hours or direct sun you can probably grow grass. (It just doesn't show in the picture is why I have I had doubts.) But what about the other areas (play area & surrounds) getting enough light to grow grass? I agree how the pitts consume too much space.

Screening above the back fence would be nice but I think additional trees would make the area even darker. Do you have any suggestions for this?

No need for screening on the east or north side.

Point taken on the need for a gentle slope away from the walkway and the pool deck for drainage. I’ll ensure this is the case when fill dirt is added after I rip out the pitts.

I’d like the play area to be surrounded by planting beds with some shade tolerant tropical plants and some color. I’d also like a bed along the back fence in a portion of the space that the pittosporums are now.

The yard is full of "trees" but they don't help with screening what's just above the fence. A tree FORM shrub that is 8' or 9' total height could do it whereas the lower limbs in front of the fence are removed so as not to hide the fence or consume yard space. I don't know why I didn't think the other day of mentioning doing that to the pitts, but examine their trunk structure and see if that is a possibility. Could their lower limbs be removed up to the height of the fence top, gaining ground space but allowing screening above the fence (if they grow higher)?

In figuring out planting of the play area, figure out what the future play structure will be in order to see how much room you have left for planting. Post a plan of play set.

I looked @ the pitts and don't think that is an option given the way that their trunks and limbs grow. Mostly, they reach out from the ground near the fence toward the pool / house.

For the play area, my intention isn't to immediately install a swing set or play set but rather to have an area where they can set up a teepee, spread a blanket, kick / throw a ball, etc. The play / swing set will come in a year or so.

Yes, I understand that the immediate intention for the play area is not to install a play set. But it's coming eventually and do you want the planting scheme to do dual duty by working now and also be ready for the future without any major alterations? Or do you want to subject yourself to the possibility of making a lot of changes when a play set is installed? A year is NOT a long time. As the play area develops, it is divided from the planting area with a bed line. The bed line is something to be figured out now, on the plan (as information about the play set/area becomes known.) The bed line divides places where people could possibly walk ("floors": lawn, low groundcover, mulch-only) from places where they couldn't ("walls" & "furniture": shrubs, perennials and tall groundcovers.) Trees ("ceilings") could be located in either areas

Another possibility with the pitts is to cut them down and do a total rejuvenation -- where you control/shape their re-growth (which will happen very quickly since they already have developed root systems) -- and trim them so as NOT to reach way out into the yard. Let them grow as a much narrower hedge which is later trimmed into tree forms and reaches and screens above the fence.

Based on some of the prior discussion, I'm going to speculate that one potential problem that could come up is not devoting enough depth to the planting beds (that are likely to surround most of the yard.) In general terms, this bed(s) ought to be allowed 6' depth as an average minimum. There are usually instances where it can easily be deeper, and possibly some instances where it can be shrunk to 4' when sacrifices must be made. Plants require space and trying to maintain a bed that is too skinny/shallow is not only difficult & more demanding of maintenance, but it doesn't look very good either. That's something to be mindful of.

I definitely want the plan that I implement now to be future ready so am on board with taking the size of the swing set / play house / fort into account when defining the bed lines and will do some research into typical sizes / layouts. The average depth of at least 6' will be a good guiding principle when I work on this.

Speaking of layout, are there any good free (or inexpensive) tools that you would recommend that are fit for the purpose of laying this out? I know I can do this by hand on graph paper but would love a recommendation for an online (or downloadable) tool.

Regarding the pitts, I honestly don't like the look of the current plants or of any of the potential arrangements that I've seen online so I'm pretty set on taking thse out and replacing with something that I like the look of.

[Oops ... just discovered this message I created days ago I forgot to submit. Haven't been on until now.)

Regarding good tools for layout. You've supplied a basic plan, above (that I've used twice now.) It could use more clean-up in order to be easier to read. Maybe it needs some tweaking for accuracy. (You must compare it with the site.) Maybe it needs some enlarging. But it could be worked with if you want to open it up in MS Paint. (The down side with working with the existing drawing in Paint is that it is not squared up with the screen. Some of the Paint tools use x,y axis and cannot tilt out of square.) The trick there is having a touchscreen and stylus or otherwise some tools will be difficult to use. I don't know of any other program that will be inexpensive or easy to use for a one-off plan. Graph paper is the defacto standard as it is inexpensive and intuitively easy to use. Basic drawing tools (T-square, triangle, engineers or architect's scale and circle templates) allow you to draw on plain paper, but even that might cost more than you want to invest for one or two drawings.

The following scheme is a stab at arranging plant heights but it is early on in the evolutionary stage .... no more than something to get the brainstorming process started. A likely following step is that some of the areas would be subdivided once a person started thinking about the actual plants that would be used. (What looks like one type of plant now might end up being 2, 3 or several types.)