Here are a couple of things that I have learned on this forum, hopefully they will help you. I posted a question somewhat similar to yours when I first starting reading here, and couldn't understand why no one could really answer my question and kept telling me to hire a landscape designer or architect. 1. There is a difference between landscaping and gardening. Which do you want to do? If you want to garden, there are tons of books and web sites and computer programs that can help you out (for example, I have five or six books on gardening to attract birds and butterflies). If you want to landscape, you are talking about more than simply putting plants in the ground in a pleasing manner. To landscape, you will either have to learn a lot or hire a professional. I've learned that now. Mostly the hard way. 2. If you want the people on this forum to spend time helping you, do your research first. For example, you ask how to post pictures - there are two very recent threads that ask this same question. Read them, see if you can do it. If not, THEN ask the question. 3. Specific questions will get you a lot more advice than general ones. If you ask "how should I landscape my yard?" you will get different answers from each person that answers (and will miss many of the best answers since those people will not respond). No one can tell you what to do, you have to know what you want. You have a start, because you know that you want to attract birds and butterflies and adapt to wildlife. Now decide if you want lawn or native grass or patios or paths or more trees or year round interest or a place to host parties or a private setting for a hot tub (that's what I want by the way) or ... 4. Yes, pictures will help. Immensely. Good pictures, with a well considered idea of what you want, and you might get some help. I'm sure I've learned more, but I have to get back to work, so will stop at this. There are some very talented people who are enormously generous with their time helping others on this forum. Be respectful of their gifts, and help them as much as you can, and you might get some wonderful ideas. Soon (in a few weeks when I am done with a class I am currently teaching) I will take my own advice (better than I have before) and hopefully I will get some wonderful ideas as well.

I don't have much to offer in the way of design ideas, but the one suggestion I do have is researching native non-grass ground cover instead of exclusively mulch. Beyond that, I think you have a nice space to work with. I especially like what I think is a rock feature in the centre of the picture (just a bit to the left).

If you go into a showroom with the attitude that you want to see all there is to see with the hopes that something will jump out at you, you'll get your wish-- from the first tile to the last. it can be EXTREMELY overwhelming. I never realised just HOW over whelming it can be until about 10 years ago, when my then girlfriend's sister decided she wanted to build a house, and wanted me to tile it, so I brought her down to the showroom I was working for at the time with that exact attitude. We got to the showroom at 7:45, and we were there till about 3:30. her boyfriend was about to wallpaper the FLOOR!! When you go to a showroom, you need to know atleast some basic information. >Do you want natural stone? Conventional ceramic? Porcelain? Do you have any questions as to the recommended uses of each? >You want to have a pretty good idea of what you want for colors. Be open to suggestions, but have an idea in which direction you want to go. >You want to have an idea of what you want for finish. (Do you want something with a high sheen or polish? Honed? More of a rustic look? Contemporary?) >Have an idea of how much you're willing to spend per foot. This DOESN'T mean to tell the salesman. Guaranteed, he'll steer you to a material with the cheapest wholesale price and double the retail just to put it in your price range, and make the most money off of it. >Decide before you walk into the showroom, which of these points are non- negotiable, and which can be comprimised, and stick to your guns. If you can put this information together before you get there, it'll make the trip alot less painless.

Here's my one cent: I haven't done much landscaping, as I'm from NYC and my patch of dirt was about 12' x 12'. I live in NC in a rental house on about 1/4 acre and have been playing around with the property a little bit, and thinking about what I would do. If you look up permaculture zones, you can get an idea of how to section the property to use it the most economically. It is wise to halt planting for now until you come up with a grand plan. I understand taking things slow and frugally. I would think about what you value most in your garden as far as structure is concerned. If you have slopes, you can uses swales, french drains, hugelkultur, to maximize your water and recycle/harness nutrients from waste material. You can even set up a site for water collection in a small pond and create an irrigation system from the overflow. Or if you want to invest in managing the landscape for the long term, you can save up to get machinery out or professionals to put in a retaining wall or terrace the slopes around your house. Another thing to think about is containers. Right now, I am part of a permaculture gardening group and we trade plants and seeds. I have a crabapple, wild peach, elderberry, mulberry, two lime, and grape vine, all growing in containers, until I get my own property. My advice is think about the types of plants you want to grow, join a master gardener's class/club, and start collecting plants while you make your plans. Good luck!