At first reading I thought I would be in total agreement with laag. But after some reflection, maybe I'll wait before saying last rites. There are some things I'd like to know, like a better description of the material in his "urbanite" wall section and how thick it is; the width from wall to dirt backfill. And how high up the wall is it to where the deadman attaches and how is the attachment made? Are the upright timbers at the end of an 8ft wall or set back from the end? Are the horizontal planks on the dirt side of the uprights or out on the face of the wall? What is the distance across the terraces between the walls and is the grade mostly flat from the wall tops? What is the climate like? Does the ground freeze? Lots of rain or dry? What will be the land use for this area? What I'm getting at is if the "urbanite" wall is made up of 4 to 8 inch angular rubble and is a little over 2 ft in width, then the wall system may well act as a gabion wall; a mass gravity wall. A basic standard for gabion thickness is 0.7 to wall height. If the uprights were set in from the wall end 1.5 ft, then the middle span would only be 5ft. If the planks are put on the fill side and the deadman braces are well attached to the uprights, this wall might stand for a long time. My guess would be that it didn't get built that way and it's going to fail. It's sad that homeowners don't complete a full plan and bring it here for review before construction.

Yipee, another young gardener. Who loves cottage gardens as do I. Last night dreams of your garden-to-be ran thru my head. Duh, the entire area can't be planted. OK, realistic plan B. Firstly get 1-2 shrubs planted to screen off the area beside the house. A green screen there provides a private sandbox area, potting area, hose storage, whatever you like. Diosma is a good shrub. Soft growth and a nice shade of green, good texture, bonus of bloom once a year. It would be look well with the birches and ivy. Nice growth rate. Let those agapanthus work for you. Take out one more clump. Plant one, or two, Grewia caffra (oops, reclassified as Grewia occidentalis --- Lavender Star Flower) close to the wall between the two agapanthus clumps. I would use another further down as well. No need to attach guide wires to the stucco unless hubby likes doing that kind of thing. It will grow as a natural espalier. Clip off any branches poking outwards when young. Will need a yearly shearing after established. Buy 6-7 (as needed) more Marguerites. Plant them as close as 1 1/2 ft. from the agapanthus (assuming you have marguerites that grow to 3 plus ft.). The agapanthus will then peek out between the marguerite's lacy foliage for excellent contrast and lushness. If you like shasta daisies a couple of clumps would combine well and provide cut flowers. The other plant that would be compatible (I think) are the large flowered hybrid Penstamons. Clumps of solid red or purple gladiolus here and there could be added later. As with all bulbs there is the drying foliage period. Yes, repeat in a long narrow bed unifies things. Since there is a 3 foot (?) width to work with, your choice of plants is limited. Marguerites are a great choice. I think I would not put more than 3 together (in a row - let your eye guide you). Pieces of it will root if you're on a tight budget and have the time. But no more lacy, ferny plants or it will become messy looking. Buy a few 16-20inch pots (the size which fits the overall scale of things) to place around the pool and indulge your love of annuals in them. Rosemary is great in a pot. And combines nicely with many annuals. Now the dog has his path and you have a restful, interesting, low maintenance bed to enhance your yard while the children grow. As Hoov said, your dream garden will happen. (how is astroturf on dogs' paws :-) ? Buy the Sunset Western Garden Book. It was my bible as a young newlywed in a first house. And I still consult it. Take pictures! You'll be glad you did. The 2 hardest things for me to learn were texture combos and scale. I was great on color! Enjoy. irisgal. PS. plants go in front of parts of the Grewia.

I live in the South where painted brick is very common, and I love it. However, I don't think your brick is ugly at all! Maybe it's the effects of the sun fading it, or whatever, but it actually looks quite nice to me. My concern about painting your brick would be the amount of sun you say your house gets, as it would likely cause your paint to fade unevenly. Also, as someone mentioned previously, painting your brick would just create a different huge block of color to look at, and won't necessarily help to reduce the impression of size. If I were you, I would give my shutters and trim a fresh paint job; Charleston Green shutters and door with a warm white trim would go great with that color brick. Replace the brass door knocker and handle with some something less bright (even antiqued brass would look better). I also like the idea of the planter boxes for the upper windows to add a little softness and to visually break up the facade a bit. You will never achieve a cottage look with your home, as its overall design is inherently more formal, but I think these few smaller changes will go a long way towards helping it feel more cozy and warm and reduce the impression of size. Once you have your house spruced up, deal with the problems of the retaining wall separately. I agree that a painted retaining wall would not look good at all. I like the idea of a stacked stone or similar material.

Since this seems to be a pathway area, ultimately, the solution to erosion control and improved walking conditions would be some kind of paving. Where grass can't, or is not practical to grow, a shade tolerant ground cover is a better choice. I think this structure is low enough that you could more aptly call it a curb. I would not worry about drainage for it or drill any holes. I would accept it as it is, including whatever its life span turns out to be.