Yaardvark - that is an interesting shape for the yard instead of a rectangle and I rather like the retaining wall like it as well as the pool shape. Would be nice if we could do the attached roof, but it would have to be a later addition due to the cost and headache of completely re-framing that part of the house. Although it could use a re-work as I don't like the complexity of that part with the current connections as it seems like a potential for leaks. It is a tough one though as the chimney height may or may not be to code depending on what we do either. The ? mark one would need to lead around the house to the driveway as people usually park in front of our garage when visiting and then come to the back instead of walking through the house. I like the arbor idea, would it be too much to do one on the driveway side? thinking it would provide some screening from the neighbors on that side. Emmarene - the majority mentioned to put the pad below the retaining wall in the back. Only one drew it in. What do you mean with this statement? "The pool in general and especially with the tanning shelf appear to be an attractive nuisance. " Are you saying you don't think we should build a pool (we'd use it daily in the summer), or are you saying to not add a tanning shelf? That is the area I tend to hang out in my neighbors pool while watching the kids play. Ok here are sketches of the various layouts I've received. I'm mainly caring about placement of things and shapes right now ie hard scaping. In all the fence would be on top of the retaining wall. We are not required to have a fence around the whole pool, but placement would be nice if that is possible although we won't install one. We only need a fence to keep others out. I'm traveling now so this is from memory and sketched in. Covered patio size is close to correct size. Pathways and pool were freehand sketched and I'm not that great at it and didn't have measurements handy. Actually what we've received didn't really have measurements on them. I care a lot about what I will see when I look out the windows. I'd like minimal view blocking, or at least stuff you can look through or over. I'd like to at least be able to glimpse the outer yard as well. What I like about this one. A bit of privacy from the road with hard stuff. Although landscaping could do the same in other options. Not blocking all of the view, but some Took equipment into account Don't like so much that the pool is the focus and right in the middle of things and a long walk from the kitchen inside the house to bring stuff out to the eating area. Also not drawn as a diving pool, but I guess it could be made into it. Other thing is having the sitting area right outside the bedroom on the kids side seems less than ideal to me. I like that it has diving and a shallower area and a tanning shelf, but may be too costly. Not sold on the angle of the covered area. It will likely do good covering the sun though, except in the late afternoon and evening which we would be using it then too. Couldn't do the open gables that my DH likes on the Southwest side. This one I like the gazebo - I think it would keep the shaded areas better, but probably wastes some space. DH likes the open gable stuff though. I don't like the amount of hard surface and the pool doesn't seem right. I like the shape style, but can't really put my finger on what I don't like about it. This one has a freestanding pavilion right next to the house with the gable next to the house closed. I like the location of it as it is nice and convenient and will guarantee we always have good shade under it. Not sold on where to put the sink though. The grill could go where we currently keep it right behind the chimney as it is out of sight from inside that way. Also not sure about the freestanding part right next to the house. Did not like the pool. I think I've drawn it a bit wrong here, but it had this odd pinch point on the outside and I tried to do it here, but it is not exact. After seeing Yaardvarks sketch I'm thinking I may need to see if somebody will drive out from the cities and do a design for us as I wasn't that impressed with what I got within a 60 mile radius. Here is another pic that shows what range of the yard you see from each room. The green is from the master, The blue from dining, the purple from the other bedroom, and the red from great room French doors when sitting inside.

For the most part it seems that you have a blank slate to work with. The new trees were installed in locations prior to the development of a comprehensive plan which means that they could by happenstance be in the right place. Or, they might end up being more useful if they were relocated. One would not know what is best to do with them UNTIL an overall plan is created. So far, the goals (shade for dog and space for camellias) seem vague. Are there other goals such as to screen neighboring properties? How many Camellias will be grown and in what form? ... tree or shrub? It's time to start tightening up goals and to start working things out on paper. Even though you say you're "not good at designing," you'll be able to do some basic organizing with help from the forum. It would be time to create a base plan of the back yard on some graph paper. I recommend printing some from here: virtual graph paper you can print. Use the lightest line weight and 10 lines to the inch as a place to start. In the drawing, show the house, fence, gates and where the existing trees are located. (And any other important feature that we can't see.) Show the patio paving and any walks, but for now, not the patio roof. Once this is done, you'll be faced with answering the questions that have been posed and considering how large to make the lawn vs. how much space to devote to planting bed(s) ... and where they will be. Maybe you could take a crack at this much and post the results...? And have no fear of failure as it won't do you any good.

In general, landscape design looks at the clients' needs and wishes for the property as a whole and the creates a design that then meets as many of those as possible in the most pleasing way. Other than the sheds and the veggie garden, how do you want to use the yard? To my mind, that needs to be answered before any real plans are made. Is privacy (fence) more important than the veggies? Does it need to be there year round, or is privacy only really important in the summer when you will be outside more? Do you want a large open space for games or running around in the center? How much shade is there over the course of the day along the chain link or in other spots of the yard such as along the deck? Do you want a "pretty" yard or a kid-friendly yard or is the growing of food more of a priority or are they all of equal priority? Where will you be most likely to walk or drive and so will need to be left open? Where is water available, and would you be able to add hose bibs in other spots as needed? Do you want afternoon shade for the deck or other areas, and would you be more likely to plant a tree, or add a structure such as an arbor or shade sail? What other wishes do you have for the yard? As others have said, the more sun, the more successful the veggie and fruit beds will be, so too close to the sheds and the nearby solid fence which will provide shade should be avoided. You also will want to change your grouping/way of thinking about the plants from culinary to cultivation. Melons, like all your veggies, are annual plants, while most other "fruits" you have listed are perennials. The annuals and perennials each should have a planting area so that when clearing out and replanting annuals each year you aren't disturbing the perennial plants. The strawberries will need renewing every few years while each of the the shrubs and vines, which are fairly permanent, have different maintenance needs, and so should be planted in separate areas. If you grow herbs, some are annuals and some perennials. Consider overall goals and how else you will use your yard to help determine the best spot for the veggie beds. For instance, if you want the center of the yard left open, then think about putting your food plants along the chain link instead of a fence since it looks like it gets good sun. Or is the solid fence important enough the you should stockpile your soil for now or make temporary beds and then when the fence has been added, create the beds and plant food crops? Could you use the berry bushes and kiwi vines for your privacy instead of a solid fence? They are deciduous, so wouldn't be great for winter privacy. You would need to leave room between the shrubs and the chain link for accessing the vines. Fruit plants don't need as close access as herbs or veggies since fruit tends to be picked in chunks, while veggies tend to get harvested for particular meals, so think about putting the veggies and herbs closer to the house where there is easy access from the kitchen. Would you want veggies as a border around the deck, or does that either not fit the plants' needs or your wishes? So create a list of uses and priorities for the yard as a whole (swimming pool? play structure? bocce court? badminton net? trash can storage? etc, etc), prioritize them, and then start thinking about placement. You have already made one big decision, the shed size and placement, and so before making others, I would stop, step back and look at the yard overall. Take some time over the next growing season to look at sun and shade patterns (if you map sun as it changes from the vernal equinox until the summer solstice, you will have a good grasp on how it will look but in reverse for the rest of the growing season) as well as wind before planting anything permanent if successful cultivation of food crops is a priority. Once you have a good handle on growing conditions and your overall goals for the yard, then you will have a better idea of where is the ideal placement for each of the various uses you have for your yard.

When it comes to layout of proposed elements you wish to add to the yard, you should be working in plan view, not in perspective view with photos. They're fine for general ideas and inspiration, but placement needs to be in a plan that is drawn to scale. Based on the photos, though, I suspect you are placing the fireplace much to far away to be useful. A parterre garden is fine if that is what one wants and is willing to maintain. It is a high maintenance feature, however, so no mystery as to why its rarely seen in typical yards. Is someone in your family sufficiently into gardening that they would be willing to maintain a parterre? If not, it would be far more advantageous for you to put your efforts into general landscaping. Another consideration would be the exact plants you hope to grow in a parterre and if you have enough light for them. I didn't see that you said where you're located so I don't think you can expect much in the way of plant recommendations. If you're where they grow, many people grow bromeliads below live oaks, especially the 'flaming torch.'