Since you didn't mention the need for incorporating any particular amenity into the back yard, can we presume that your main objective is to create a nice view such that you can enjoy it from the house...?

It looks like those are some fairly large shrubs border the patio, cutting off your view of the yard and some of the physical connection. You might consider getting rid of the ones that block the back yard view from the patio. ... In other words doing a total back yard plan instead of concerning yourself with only the distant portion.

Also, I agree with you that the border is too shall. It needs to be wide enough to grow plants that can be a backdrop for the view.

The walk that terminates at the center of the yard seems without purpose ... almost as if an abandoned project. Would consider if it could be used in a more meaningful way, or removing it.

Are there plans to expand the patio?
Are any adjoining neighbors using groundcover that abuts your lot line and if so, what is it?

Adding a tip on picture taking ... when you try to capture a single scene in multiple shots, make sure the camera stays at the same location. Then the scene will fit together without objects showing up multiple times.

Is the car parked in a driveway or street? What is the fence in the foreground? Where is your house and how does it connect to this yard??

Yardvaark, you are correct, no specific feature. Just want it to look better. I’ve given some thought in the past to removing the hedges in the foreground. Will give it some more thought. I should have mentioned that there is a 2-3 foot tall stone wall running horizontally across the backyard, which is where the walkway ends. There are several steps down to the ”sunken” portion of the yard, which is why it appears to stop. No plans to expand the patio. It’s a pretty good size (maybe 15 x 30) and underutilized as it is. No ground cover on either side that I know of. There was some english ivy that I tore out last year, but that was it. Like the border line you drew. Thanks for the photo tip.

Kitasei, photos are taken from second story of the house. Cars are in the driveway, which wraps around back of house and takes up about half the lot immediately behind the house. Other half is the patio. Beyond that is the lawn. Patio is accessible from stairs off screen porch. First picture is the best overall view of the backyard. Next two pics are just from different angles. Here’s a picture taken from the sunken portion of the backyard back towards the house. Rock wall and stairs are visible from this angle. Was taken when we were adding a room to the back so please excuse the clutter. Patio is on the right side (obscured by hedges) and driveway is on left where blue tarp is.

Other than planning the curved silhouette for the gardens you should also start by planning any sidewalks or hardscapes such as some nice boulders or benches and trellises. You have a rather large area and you may not wish to cram it full of plants which take up too much time to maintain. Put in some smaller trees or shrubs and leave a bit of space between them. Also consider flowers or trees in large pots which may be moved around to change it up now and then. It also matters if you will sit in this garden much or entertain there. You sure do not want to choose tiny plants if it will only be viewed from the upper level at the back of the house. Good luck with your project.

After you deepen the beds, I would think you would want shrubs/small trees that give four season interest--or at least 3 with flowers in spring, summer and fall foliage and berries. In your zone it should be easy to do.

Here, I'm not offering a specific PLAN, but a general SCHEME for creating a view. You've already regained a large portion of the back yard by removing plants that were screening it from view. I can see by the additional photo that if one was sitting on the patio, the shrubs surrounding it would block off, or seriously disturb, his view. I suggest you follow the same program that led you to getting rid of the Leylands, and dispense with the patio shrubs. In addition to being unnecessary, their presence is detrimental. If the patio were a friendlier, prettier place, it stands a chance of being better used, and if not, could at least be made to look inviting and contribute to the view as seen from the porch or windows.

I'm suggesting that you create a bed that surrounds the lawn. The bed should be large enough to look like it could support the trees that are in it. Their trunks would not be near or too close to the bed edge, but well into it. A simple "rule of thumb" type guide for dimensioning a bed containing trees is to imagine each tree planted in a 'flower pot' proportionate to the trees size. Using this method, here's a comparison between your existing bed set-up and the one I proposed. You can see how the flower pots that fit into the existing bed couldn't possibly support the trees that are in them, whereas in the larger bed their size looks believable.

We can't see what you see when you look into the yards at each side, but could presume that you wish to have some degree of privacy and block any negative view that might exist. In addition, you'd want to temper the view of your own fence, making it less prominent. Even putting it into deep shade will help accomplish this. This suggests the use of some large shrubs, so the border bed must fit them as well. Other, smaller plants may be desired, too, as your plan gets worked out.

After separating the lawn from a bed border, it begs the question of what the exposed ground surface will consist of if it is not lawn. It's probably already understood that bare dirt is not an option. Mulch alone is the lowest initial cost option but it has disadvantages. While it looks good when first installed, its appearance will deteriorate within a relatively short time, making annual replenishment necessary. That cost and labor will eventually become tiresome. Too, mulch is brown, dry, flat and lifeless. In my opinion, it can never measure up to a groundcover that is green, gives a cushioned appearance and by the nature of being alive, is self-healing. A groundcover that grows solid, beyond the initial installation, never needs mulching again!

It would make more sense and seem more inviting if you created a spacious landing, which reflected/coordinated with the overall lawn shape, at the base of the lawn steps. Even if never physically used, it completes the view and makes it seem as if there is a reason that the steps and path are located where they are. If a garden part or other lawn even were held, having a landing would seem like a real invitation to enter the yard. Without the landing, it seems as if the steps and path go to nowhere and that the lawn would make just as much sense without them.

Thanks Yardvaark. That's exactly what I was looking for. Your flower pot illustration was especially helpful. Definitely going to get rid of the three shrubs between the patio and the backyard. Going to keep the shrubs between the patio and driveway for now since that provides a bit of a buffer when cars are parked there.

We've been using pine needles (which are pretty popular here in Atlanta) for ground cover and they look pretty good for a few months, but I agree that green ground cover would be much nicer. Any recommendation that's not english ivy?

Also, any recommendations for the large shrubs on the fence line? There are a few existing crape myrtles fronted by burning bushes between the patio and the fence on the left side. I'm not in love with either. Do you recommend continuing that same pattern down the entire fence line or changing it up?

I wouldn't have the lawn be curved on one side and then nearly straight on the other. Nor would I have curves that come out from the bed at the same points, to produce a constriction. If there is room for curves at all these should alternate, so that where one side comes out from a bed the other side is receding. In other words coordinated curves, so that the lawn has an appearance of flowing smoothly throughout the scene.

Otherwise where an area is comparatively small and boxed in the geometric symmetry already dictated by the existing setting should be followed, in order to avoid visual conflicts.

I also wouldn't have ~straight lines of shrubs within flowing beds of varying diameter, again this is a problem of lack of coordination between two involved elements - the shrubs should instead conform to and follow the shape of the bed.

And I wouldn't plant trees that have some height and clear trunks, read therefore as accent points in the landscape close together, to produce a crowded appearance.

"I agree that green ground cover would be much nicer. Any recommendation that's not english ivy?"

You can look around and see if there is anything else growing in the neighbors' yards that would fill the bill, but for the size area you're planting, nothing comes to mind that is close to ivy's efficiency level. To plant liriope muscari is considerably more expensive. (Liriope spicata is much less controllable than English ivy.) I lived in the Atlanta area for nearly 20 years and managed massive amounts of English ivy -- in my own yard and many acres of it for an educational institution. I considered it a godsend considering Atlanta's sometimes harsh conditions, and have written extensively about managing it in another thread. You can weigh its advantages vs. liabilities. If any neighbor was growing it on their side of the fence, I'd give up now and learn how to manage it ... to your advantage, of course.

"There are a few existing crape myrtles fronted by burning bushes..." This is not reasonable! Essentially, crape myrtles and burning bushes are the same size -- both roughly 20' "trees." So one would not "front" the other ... and if it did, that would mean that they are not working together. I know it's relatively common to treat burning bush as short shrubs, but this is not their nature. It is not really possible to create great landscapes based on misconceptions of plants' habits. I think you need large shrubs against the lot line if you're trying to create privacy. Either crape myrtle or burning bush would do ... but not one in front of the other! In general, I'm not a plant picker on this forum because there are many factors, including personal "like's," that weigh into the decision. Search Google for "large shrubs for Georgia" and see what appeals to you. There might be some Hydrangea that fill the bill. Maybe some Viburnum, too.