I took some pictures and uploaded them to Photobucket. I will also upload a sketch with what is currently in our yard and some ideas we have for possible changes. I have a sketch with exact measurements and locations of trees, etc., but it's too big to scan in so I'll have to do a basic sketch on some smaller paper as soon as I get a chance. The dimensions of the backyard are almost exactly 80' wide by 80' deep. It appears to be deeper than it is wide, but maybe that's because the veggie garden (which is 15' wide by 47' deep) takes up a good chunk of the east side of the yard. I really like the idea of going to some favorite nurseries and collecting business cards from designers. I was trying Google searches and met with one company whose work looked nice, but it turns out that they don't do design work without being locked into a contract with them to do the bulk of the landscaping work. We'd have to sign a contract (telling them our budget range) and they would draw up plans within that range and do most of the work, subbing out stuff they don't do themselves, with the design being part of the package deal. I think I'd rather work with someone who has more flexibility in allowing us to do parts of the work ourselves without being penalized for it. lazygardens and butterflygardening: Thanks for the helpful links- I am reading through them! alygal- We love the idea of raising chickens (or ducks!), but unfortunately our city doesn't allow them in residential areas. Some of the towns around us havejust recently started allowing them, so maybe it will be a possibility in the future! Here are some of our current ideas for making our yard more attractive and usable in the ways we'd like to use it. - Possibly ditch the sandbox, although I am torn because the kids do use it when it's nice outside. The problem is that it's so close to the house that they always come in still covered with sand, AND it's location really limits the width of the planting bed around the breakfast nook. If we keep the sandbox, I think I'd at least make the flagstone path along it more narrow to allow for a slightly wider bed there. - Widen pretty much all of the beds to allow more layered planting (to increase attractiveness and privacy in the yard). I would also like to have a nice bed along the patio and around where the sandbox is, so basically be left with an area of the grass in the middle of the yard. - Possibly add a slight berm along the garden fence and plant a variety of shrubs and small trees to make the garden less prominent since it's not much too look at most of the year. - Make the patio more usable by extending it a little deeper (it's now 20' wide by 10' deep). - Add something to get more shade on the patio. It gets shade starting in the mid-afternoon and through the evening from our neighbors house to the west, so I don't really want to add a hard cover (my husband's idea) because I think it would detract from the look of the house. I am thinking a well placed tree would eventually have the right effect (and I'm content to use a patio umbrella as needed until then). - Add a screened in gazebo (about 12' x 12') south of the patio area toward the south side of the yard for dinners and entertaining. My husband is a mosquito magnet so he really wants this for enjoying the yard in the evenings. - Add a structure toward the southeast corner of the yard (about 8' x 10') to be used as a playhouse/garden retreat. I picture it looking like a little cottage style potting shed more than a mini playhouse, so that even after the kids outgrow it, I can still enjoy it as a garden retreat. - Revise current pathways through the yard and add pathways as needed to new structures, to the veggie garden/shed, etc. Would like to maybe use some reddish flagstone in addition to the buff ones we currently have and mix them up a bit as the buff looks so bland to me against our house. - Possibly cover the patio with flagstone to make it more attractive and more cohesive with pathways. Thanks for any advice or suggestions you may have. Here is a link that might be useful: Backyard Pictures

Try LETCO. They have everything including dirt, mulch, stones, you name it. Although they have azaleas specialty soil, I wouldn't recommend it because they are pure organic material meaning they will disappear within few years back to ground level. I'd go with a mixture of pine bark fines and sandy loam soil (inorganic) which is usually slightly acidic, 50/50. At worst, they will sink halfway there after a few years and stay there. It should be no problem as long as you do not use chemicals of any kind that would destroy benefical soil microbes esp fungi which is responsible for keeping pH down. Azaleas and acidic loving plants thrives in type of soil that is very high population count of fungi. That's why I recommending mulching every year to provide optimal environment for beneficial fungi to thrive. You can use alfalfa pellets or soybean meal to feed azaleas. That's what I do. More plants to check out is abelia. They bloom quite a bit through the summer into fall. I don't care much for regular type which looks a bit messy and wild but I think the dwarf type is pretty nice. They are evergreen in houston and can handle partial shade. Nandina isn;t bad either. You could grow tall azaleas in the back and low growing azaleas in the front. The low mounding type like Embers do not show their "legs". I think there are like 23 varieties that differ in growth habit. I have KO roses and they seem to vary in size depending on which one. Double KO grows fast to 6 feet in 2 years. You can buy the smallest one in bunches to save money. Chamblee nursery online comes to mind because they have best price. Rainbow KO seems to stay more compact less than 3 feet but too early to know as I only had them for a year. I would kill for pure white KO. Supposedly they are coming out in 2-3 years after trials. KO roses are perfect for an area that gets a lot of sun and blooms pretty much round year in Houston. Very easy to grow. Basically plant and forget with mulches around them. You also can look into japanese maples. They can be grown in Houston under partial shade. www.metromaples.com to look at the choices since it's in ft worth and you know how hot it can get and sometimes no rain. one good thing about Houston, it never seems to go into bad drought like up here. At the worst in 2005, Houston managed to get 35 inches of rain which is like normal for us up here! Here is a link that might be useful: LETCO

You may find the nothing will readily establish there due to the beds being filled with roots from the long-established trees. You might need to use large pots or planters with saucers under them to keep out tree roots if they are aggressively rooting species. For that you would need to get the trees IDed if you don't know what they are, and then research growth habits.

I'm so glad to hear you love your big trees. They are a treasure! I suggest a low wooden deck that fills most of the rectangle between your door landing, out to the edge of the planting bed. For cohesion and privacy, an "L" shaped fence replacing (or in front of) your low picket fence and your neighbor's trellis-topped fence. NOT a solid wood fence, instead a horizontal open board fence. It will let in air and light but give enough privacy that you'd feel comfortable sitting out there. You could even mimic the three-panels of fence at the end of your lot. That's your space for a couple lounge chairs, large flower pots, grill, whatever. In that existing planting bed and in the planting bed alongside your garage, I'd do hostas (if deer aren't a problem) or ferns. Include a few spring bulbs. For viewing interest, a boulder fountain and/or bird feeder would be wonderful. That was a good idea to paint the masonry blocks especially of your garage to match your siding. Oh and you could make another horizontal fence panel to hide the trash can area. Do you think you'd need more privacy than that? It doesn't look like you're right on top of your neighbors. If you can fit in a small tree, such as a crabapple, that might be a nice way to guide your sight lines.