Sounds like a multi-purpose back yard. How about a parre terre (sp?) that has all your garden beds in raised planters and pavers/patio/cobbles around all that? The ones that are set up symmetrically look really neat and allow you to draw the visitor toward a focal point (swing, fountain or whatever). Kids can ride their big wheels, etc. and you can have mixed beds of edibles, foliage plants and flowers that don't get run over. You could do the whole back yard this way with no lawn at all! I did a similar thing once, with a circular knot garden (herbs) in the middle, and rotated veggie crops and flowers in 4 triangular corner gardens around a wood chip pathway. If there are any cats in your home (or neighborhood) I'd think twice about sand. What would be its purpose other than as a substitute for bark mulch?

Unless I am missing something, I don't see any specific trees mentioned :-) But live oak, southern magnolia and southern red cedar are all native evergreens that you could consider. Other, nonnative species are available as well.....just check with your local nursery. Native trees for north Florida

Where are you? It looks too dry to have a lawn without using an inordinate and expensive quantity of water. What is to the right of your photos? As it stands, your question is too open ended to be answered well without more info. I would start by wandering around various neighborhoods to see what type of landscaping appeals to you. Look in Houzz photos in the landscaping area, doing a search for your city or state or even region such as desert southwest or New England. Get books out of the library on landscaping in your zone. What is typically used to cover yards in your area, such as grass or artificial turf or rock mulch or . . . ? At the same time, make a list of the functions you need or want the yard to provide such as a play structure or soccer area for kids, a patio or deck, a spot to cook outside, shade, a structure to store toys and tools, fruit trees, a veggie garden, lots of flowers, a volleyball court, a place for pets, parking, etc. Do you like gardening and yard work or are you someone who prefers lower maintenance? Think about your budget and what you can realistically do. Set priorities as far as what is most important to you. You most likely have a plot plan or can down load an image from your town tax map or from an online map to have an overview of your yard. Mark N, S, E, W on it and f you make larger copies of it, you can try out ideas on it to try to figure out where your various functions might go. You can also note where sun and shade from buildings and neighboring trees fall. That will help you consider where plants can best be placed. General order of work is to do hardscape and utilities such as patios, paths, irrigation, etc.; next plant slow-growing plantsuch as trees,; and then smaller plants, but in this case you will want to do some type of groundcover for all that bare soil sooner rather than later so you don't have erosion problems.

"They [low priced nursery/garden center landscape designers] are used primarily as a marketing tool to sell plants, often very common or less desirable plants, and what you receive design-wise may be very substandard." My sentiments exactly. One would likely get the typical "builder's plan" ... the kind of problem prone landscape that everyone can't wait to redo as soon as possible. The forum is good for giving ideas about general direction to take, or spot problem solving ... but it does not produce PLANS, which are essential for a quality landscape product. One has the option of drawing their own plans if they are DIY oriented and feel competent about it. (They can get advice from the forum on the mechanics of doing it. ) If not, as in every other project, they must hire a professional. But landscaping without plan at all will probably result in something less desirable than a 'builder's plan.' The approach one takes for a back yard depends largely on one's goals and objectives. Some people want total privacy, as in a private paradise ... they don't want to see any part of neighbor's houses. Other people want a more open solution and prefer not to block much view between neighbors' yards. Still others want to block sight lines between theirs and neighbors' outdoor living spaces while keeping a feel of openness at other places. One needs to decide on their goals in order for a plan to shape up that would meet them. In nearly every discussion of creating a privacy border of some type comes the advice to avoid a uniform hedge. I would take this with a grain of salt because often, especially when space is at a premium, it may be the uniform hedge that best fills the bill. Many people here are plant loving "gardeners" and can't conceive of a planting that is not crammed with as much variety as possible. A potential downside to that is more labor in upkeep, more space consumption, and a busier look. If that fills the bill, no problem. But there are advantages to uniformity in potential space conservation, a cleaner look and simpler maintenance. Landscaping is not 'one size fit all.' Develop your goals and set about to see how they can be realized.