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?

Thanks, Yardvaark. The berm idea has been nixed in favor of the locust trunks for now. What do you think about growing climbing hydrangea on the existing maples and locusts that are now about six feet downslope? I ask because we have it elsewhere on the property and it works to turn bare tree trunks into dense screens. I am afraid to do ivy or euonymous (which we also have doing the same thing) because they are so invasive. I will take your suggestion about the grass, and will appreciate any guidance on the type that will be most successful in this shady area and will be most likely to stand up to the occasional parking..

EmagSamurai wrote: > Is there anything I can do ahead of time to help my lawn in the long term such as spreading wood chips over the yard to be covered when they grade. I think I can get all the wood chips I want from the city for free. EmagSamurai, that's a very interesting wood chip question. Here's a passage from the book "Teaming with Microbes" that might be of help to you: " C:N ratio " "In order to decay, mulch requires air, water, carbon, nitrogen, and the right biology; and once again, the raito of carbon to nitrogen comes into play. If there is abundant carbon in mulch but not much nitrogen, or a ratio of 30:1 or greater, then the decaying microbes use up the nitrogen in the mulch and, once that is gone, will take nitrogen from the soils touching the mulch." "People make a big deal of this nitrogen "robbing," but it usually occurs only at the thin interface of the soil and the mulch. Although it has a real impact there, it usually doesn't affect the rhizosphere or the bacteria and fungi that reside there. [The rhizosphere is the area around the roots.] Still, there is no reason to court problems. Experience has taught us that the chances nitrogen will be immobilized in soils under wood chip mulch can be reduced by making sure the chips are 3/8 inch or larger. This prevents much of the bacterial colonization you would see in smaller wood chips, and--where mulches are concerned--it is primarily the bacteria that tie up the nitrogen in the surrounding soils." I should cross-reference this with another helpful passage from "Teaming with Microbes" that I posted in the following thread in the Organic Gardening forum: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/organic/msg1202520814763.html (Look for my December 24th posting in that thread. This book is so helpful :-)

Playsinthedirt, there are some precautions that need to be taken with mulch, just to be on the safe side. The problem with subterranean termites is that we don't see them, oftentimes, until they have set up housekeeping. ;-( Termites can live in the soil, and will take advantage of the nice environment that mulch makes in order to build large underground chambers. From there, they seek out their feeding sites (trees, buildings, fallen logs, and even mulch). Because of this, it is not recommended that you use wood mulch right up against a building. And it's best to keep the layer of mulch to 2 or 3 inches. Don't pile mulch up against the trunk of a tree (which is bad anyway, regardless of termites). I've used wood chips as mulch for many years and will continue to do so without reservations. But understanding a bit about this 'foe' and how to prevent possible infestation is important. Cedar mulch is derived from the eastern red cedar (actually Juniperus virginiana), and only the relatively rare heartwood has proved to have any termite (or other insect) resistance at all. The sapwood, which comprises most mulch products, is termite food just like most other woods. ;-)