Thanks for the ideas, all! I hadn't thought about inexpensive ways to obtain plants. I do have plenty of seeds for this year, but only for things like strawflower, cosmos, poppies, and other things that I wouldn't put in full shade. I'll have to look into some other options! Very smart of everyone to point out that I will want to get my landlord's permission. My husband and I are lucky to have an extremely easygoing landlord, who has an exceptionally hands-off policy (although it's not that lucky when we're on the hook for various household repairs. I think of it as training wheels for a house). I did ask for permission to garden, back when we were signing the lease, and he was happy that I wanted to do so. We have carte blanche except for doing things like tearing up the big, lovely lilac in the corner of the yard. I do have a bad track record with pots, especially in the summer since I can't seem to water them every day. I have two self-watering windowboxes, and those do well but still need to be watered about every 2 or 3 days. It's true that I can dig up anything I plant, to take with me later, but I'm already planning to do that with six roses, a rosemary, and a couple odds and ends in the back yard--so I don't want to overextend myself. So I guess, to get more specific, what are people's opinions--would you choose to move the daylilies and find something else to put in the bed, or leave the daylilies and try to make the beds look tidier with mulch and possibly companion plants? I know that neither option is "right" or "wrong," but I'd be interested in the opinions of folks that have much more gardening experience than I do. ;) Thanks again for all the thoughts so far!

Hi KS. I saw some photos you posted in another thread, but now I can't find them. I saw a 2 story white house with wood siding and a 2nd story deck, lot sloping toward the back. It appeared to be mostly grass and dirt in the back, and was that a driveway going down to the small shed at the property line? Then a nice green wooded area behind you, lots of tall, dense trees. I can imagine a graded patio off the back of the house bordered by a low stone retaining wall, with steps down to a grass terrace that can serve as a driveable surface for the rare instances you need to drive down to the shed. Then a third lower terrace, densely planted with medium-height mounding shrubs that will flower seasonally, maybe even a small water feature. The patio will have to be fairly wide and deep to contain a fire feature in a safe location. Consider the direction of prevailing winds, and how you will sit around the fire -- permanent bench seating? A collection of comfortable outdoor seating? Be sure the patio is large enough to allow for all that. Plan your lighting at the same time -- uplights built into the patio floor? Overhead strings of lights? Lanterns on low posts on either side of the steps? A lot will depend on your budget; terraces and stone retaining walls will be expensive, but will add value to your home and your family will enjoy them for many years to come.

Hi Jon, I feel like I just took a ride on your lawnmower around your house. The unfortunate thing about your video is we only get a few seconds here and there when the camera points up from the ground to show the house and shed. Landscape design is intended to pull the house and garden together in a complementary fashion. We saw the problems that are most on your mind, but not the big picture. Weeds -- there are several weed killing products on the market. Use one of them that has glyphosate. If you read the label and follow instructions, you can use it safely and be rid of the weeds. Repeated use will rid you of the Japanese knotweed, too. Persistent treatment until weeds are under control is essential. A common mistake is to spray, then let the next crop of weeds grow and go to seed before treating again. If a weed is allowed to grow and produce seed, the cycle is perpetuated. Kill kill kill! Then you're done. About moving the garden -- veggie garden, right? It should be located in the sunniest spot in the garden -- south facing, no trees overhanging, no tree roots to compete with your plantings. (In the video we only see the base of the trees -- whatcha got there?) I hope this won't come off as too harsh, but simply removing debris would really make a difference. The scattered bricks and wood planks, pots and whatever make it look like a yard sale after a hurricane. (yes, I exaggerate) But a tire? Come on Jon. :-) Rent a pickup or a dumpster and haul it all away, or put it away in the shed. Firewood, okay, I get that, but split the logs and make a neat stack along the fence with the firewood and nothing else. No random "parts" of this and that. Imagine yourself putting along on a ride-on lawnmower with nothing hidden in the grass, just relaxing and cutting the grass, enjoying your green space. Nice!

Your house is beautiful. In what area are you? I have no training in landscaping and my ideas are budget ones. With that said...build a 2'x 2' square a little taller than pipe made of pvc lattice and plop that sucker over the pipe. Wood would be better, but you have to be prepared to change it out every few years. Put a flower pot with good soil inside the lattice and plant a perennial vine that would spill over to soften the look. I've planted plain old sweet or Irish potatoes to cover eyesores. Green up your yard using new sod or even cheaper, weed and feed in the spring. Shape your shrubs. I really like Vst's suggestions. Like frankie said, pull mulch away from tree, and kit's suggestion to plant around tree and mail post would give a finished look. I would plant a creeping ground cover. Yard is a pro, though, and knows all about dimensions. I like the way the tree looks now, but it would be a problem in the future and I definitely become psychologically attached to trees. Yard, what material would you suggest to line the flower beds? Your house has so much character.