We live in CO and our backyard faces south, so we get tons of very hot sun back here. Also, last year when we had the fake grass installed they did all the leveling for drainage (we live sideways on a hill) - the little river area in the back works great for drainage, water runs right though it - but I'd like it to show up more distinctive and decorative than blending in with everything else. We will also put an evergreen in the back right corner later this year, or next spring if the lilac I have there doesn't grow.

Thanks for your appreciation for my approach, s8us89ds, and I like the the points you have made about opportunities to create habitat and ecosystems. (Disclosure: I am a restoration ecologist, by profession, and this is what I do, even at home: create habitat.) I've observed that birds, in particular, find my yard more a more useful and better place to hang out than elsewhere in the neighborhood, which is a 1970s tract development with lots generally in the 1/5- to 1/3- acre range. This is a big plus, aesthetically, for me, along with the visual pleasure of the tapestry of chaparral plants. The other great advantage to taking this approach, as you point out, is that it is inexpensive and can pretty much be done by anyone who can dig a minimal planting hole in unimproved soil (what you want when planting natives) while standing on a steep slope. Blanchette, a bit of advice, with reference to "craning in" large oaks or olives. Planting a relatively modest-sized tree and letting it establish from a younger age invariably works out better, in my experience, than the instant (but generally short-lived) gratification of installing a large tree. Beyond the eye-popping expense of buying and installing mega-trees, there are often major, years-long problems with establishment that need to be skillfully managed when using such trees. Fine if you are up to doing that, but often a disappointment. Case in point: about 10 years ago, a neighbor a few houses up my street had a very large olive tree (was at least the 300-gallon size) installed (using a crane, etc.) in his front yard about the same time I planted a gallon-sized olive in my back yard. His tree has developed significant root problems and it has lost two-thirds of its canopy; the tree is, at best, barely surviving and unhealthy -- not to mention disfigured because of major branches having to be amputated. The olive tree I planted is now larger than his (in fact, is currently about the same size he started with) and quite healthy. I personally won't plant anything larger than a gallon-sized plant and consider 5-gallon the upper limit.

You could have someone come out and point out to you, as some of us have already done, what your choices are and the advantages and disadvantages of each, but what is the point of repeating what has been done here? If you are unclear about the choices, you can still ask questions, trying to get the issue clarified. In the end, you must evaluate what solution will work best for your lifestyle. Once you decide, it would be good to hire a designer to work out and fit together the pieces of the puzzle. You wouldn't want to solicit multiple design ideas from unpaid designers. The best you would get are vague, general ideas ... because designing is the process of working out and refining ideas and no one is going to invest in your project unless you are paying them. You just need one good, workable plan and one good designer. You could interview a few designers to find one whose personality and work you like. If the designer is good, you might not even care if they have a bad personality :-) Or ... if you or hubby have the ability to do the design, you can work through all the issues and commit the project to paper. I'm sure people here would give feedback on your efforts as you go along, trying to help you stay on course. But doing it yourselves means that you will be making the final call on all decisions. Or maybe you'd just want to do preliminary design work of getting the basic layout thought through and then turn it over to a pro to fine tune and make it buildable. You ask "if we redo the wall, why not a patio?" What's going to be the most useful to you ... a large expanse of floor connected to house floor level? ...Or having that expanse split in two levels? Given the overall lack of depth for building either, I'd think the single level deck would be the most enjoyable. If you need more room later, it's likely that your best option for expanding is to go from deck level up one step to an upper patio.

One of my favorite ornamentals is Golden Guinea vine, which has a growing habit more like a bush than a vine. It is very manageable, it will not get out of control, and it produces cheerful yellow flowers (which unfortunately do not last long). You might also think about a fruit tree, maybe a pomegranate or Gold Kist Apricot. Pomegranates grow exceptionally well in Southern California and produce attractive fiery-orange blossoms and attractively-shaped fruit. Even for someone who doesn't like eating pomegranates, this could still be a tree to consider purely for ornamental use. Pomegranate trees can tend to grow very bush-like though, and sometimes become overgrown, but they can easily be cut back. I mentioned the Gold Kist variety of apricot because it will still be an abundant fruit-producer with the lack of chill hours in your climate. You could also plant a seedless Satsuma tangerine tree. These don't get very big. The flavor can be variable though, depending on environmental factors and age of the tree (don't be disheartened if the fruits taste watery and bland the first year, the flavor really improves after many years). These are great for snacking and effortless to peel. A lemon tree is always nice to have too. What about planting a few rose bushes? Or if you really hate thorns there are some beautiful varieties of Camellias and Tree Peonies.