We're creating a Secret Garden out of our long narrow side yard for our children too. Our son is 10 and our daughter is 12, so what we are doing is to an extent somewhat different and has different useage than of course for toddlers. Ours want a place to read and play games, with lots of fragrant plants, a pond and a vegetable garden. A small metal arch and a stone birdbath are structures that we added to further help thornless climbing roses, wisteria, heliotrope, passionflowers and other fragrant plants to hopefully encourage hummingbirds and butterflies to their garden. Today DH has been rototilling and adding spoil amendments so that we can start getting the plants in the ground. You could do a veggies garden for them, there are lots of seed packets that are for tiny size vegetables. Even Veggietales has seed packets at our local Home Depot. You got a nice size space to site a tree, that can grow along with them to be able to climb in when they are older. For furniture you could get a couple of wooden child size adirondack (sp?) chairs and paint them in bright colors. I don't recommend the inexpensive plastic chairs they make for kids, they always slip in them or they fall over easily. I saw in a kids garden book where they erected a hammock on a pole framing and set it up very low so that when you are in it, your bottom is almost at ground level. That way if they tumble out, there isn't far to go to hit the grass as a cushion. You could read with them in the hammock with you- that could create nice memories for them and you! For pics of what we have in progress, check out my Picture Trail: careytearose Here is a link that might be useful: look in the Landscaping Projects 2007 album

Don, if your other tiers get filled like this one, where are you planning to step to visit them? You know, a touch here, a word there...right now you have the room, but they'll spread..just wondering.. I was also thinking, since you generously invited us to make suggestions, that this top tier is the final destination (i would view it quickly then start at the bottom and work my eye upward taking in the detail of the plants) and could have a focal point, ie., obelisk, urn, .....just following Moc's train of thought... Thanks for letting us get involved in your project! It's fun...more fun right now than the work I have to do in my own yard!!! Lol Can't wait to see tier two! Jo

The welded wire enclosed one entire side of the property and included the back door and the whole side yard. It excluded the driveway and parking areas. It was safe for dogs (lots of dogs, I fostered) and visiting grandkids. 4x4 posts were used at (3) gates and corners, metal stakes were used in shrub borders where they virtually disappeared. Some of the shrubs were existing, more were planted to hide the rest of the fence and add more privacy. It’s a lot of shrubs/small trees to plant, but we wanted the privacy anyway. If you feel the chain link is the best option for you, you can still plant things on and in front of it to camouflage it, but I think it’s a bit harder to hide than a more open fence material. How about a rail fence with wire on it? Mine was not elegant by any means, but by focusing on planting on the outside first, neighbors were spared looking at for long. Plantings on the inside followed. You could even plant first and fence later. Not my photo. My favorite fence. Next house.

Hi Karina, It looks like your garden area has lots of potential. I'd look through images of gardens online so that you start to get clarity about your own sense of style, what you like and dislike. Also, make a list of goals for the garden (eg : play space for the kids, grilling area, dining / entertaining area, herb/vegetable garden. or whatever makes sense for you). Knowing what you want to be able to do in the garden, as well as what is beautiful to you, is a good start. Then measure the garden and make a basic plan of its shape, and include the house and the placement of windows and doors (measure their location). See if you have an outdoor GFI electrical outlet, and a hose bib or faucet---if you use low voltage landscape lighting and an irrigation system, you will need these. (You will want the irrigation outlet to be continuous, that is, you won't want it on a switch because you don't want anyone to turn the irrigation off). I can't tell what part of the country you are in? But from the photos, a few thoughts: - it looks like you may get a lot of sun, and so if you're in the right zone, a fragrant garden would do well: lavender, rosemary, butterfly bush, monarda. rose, perhaps lilac, plants like that. Or are you in California? I can't tell, but plants that make sense in your area; you can discuss with your local plants nursery. You'll want to choose either an angular, geometric garden or organic, curvy shapes for the layout. From what I can see of the photos, one design I would try out would be : formal vegetable and herb and fruit garden in the sunny area near the house (if it gets full sun), with gravel walks. Also, flower beds. A terrace with shade of some kind (sail cloth, or umbrella, or pergola). Then I'd make a small woodland where there are tall fences, this may be along the side of the house where the pool is, it's hard to tell in the photos. There could be seating in a few areas: a bench in the herb garden or a chair & ottoman there (eg adirondack chair, nothing fancy); dining table or deeper seating with a dining-coffee table on the terrace, for say 6-10 people if that makes sense for your lifestyle; and then a bench or a couple of chairs in the "woods" area. You could also incorporate a small oval or rectangle of grass for play space. Good luck with your design process. I think you might find helpful hints on how to approach designing your own garden on gardenista.com