Where are you in CO? I can hardly wait for spring in my Springs neigborhood as the place comes to life with so many flowering trees. It too is an older area. Am working on my backyard also, about twice your size but in the same situation. It is a tradgedy from lack of care by previous owners, but did come back to life a bit last summer...with a bunch of continuous attention. At one time it must have been a beautiful yard as there were remants of a rock garden and many roses still attempting to live. I have huge trees at the far back and both sides of the yard are flanked with old lilacs which completely hide the fencing. The rest of the yard is open with old lawn and nothing else. Was able to plant a couple of small trees for future shade closer to the house, but with this winter cold they may not have made it. After considering some ideas (and I can't afford a landscaper), I've decided that hardscape is the answer to beginning again in this yard. The area most needed is coming out of the back door onto a 12 X 20 concrete patio. It feels barren, am building a 4' fence around it, about 2' beyond the pad so I can add plants/bushes/vines between the patio and fence. Would love a pergola over the patio but costs seem to have gone through the roof, so the fence came to mind to soften the patio and I'll just keep using umbrellas. Another addition is a potting shed with porch. A new roof went on last summer, saved all the wood shingles to use on the shed. I also have 2 big dogs and they love their yard. It is difficult to plan a garden with tender plantings which is why I've decided hardscape first, then start adding the plantings nearby where they can be safe from paw paths. So....I didn't add anything to help you. But my first thought would be trees, get a start on them, at least 3 in various locations and near the patio for shade. Is the patio flagstone? It could be taken out and reused in the same location on a new base. Some large bushes by the alley fence and garage. Hardscape wise, I love sheds...they can be tiny and still give some cottage feeling. I actually saw a victorian shed built in a front yard, it was charming. Hopefully some others will respond who have more knowledge of cottage gardens....at this point with mine it feels like it will take forever to get where theirs are.

John - first, congratulations on selecting this excellent property. second - I would follow the wise advice from kentc, to live in the house for a while before making any major changes. I like the advice from NHB, and would like to see the hedge or continuous growth along the drive remain, just transplant some of those rounded mounds behind it in order to spoil the formality of the repetition. For anyone to help you with the backyard, they would need to know who will be living in the house, how you plan to entertain visitors, if you will be conducting business within these walls. What activities each member of the family hopes to perform in this new setting, with ample room for sport courts, swimming, exercise equipment, dining areas, cookouts, vegetable & herb gardens, small greenhouse, dog yard, horse barn. Take your time. Analyze first then plan. The master plan that you prepare will be implemented in stages over the years, based on the available budget and the children's age. For instance, a preschooler will need a sandbox and swing-set within view of the kitchen and the office or study. In a few years this will be replaced by a lawn area for lawn sports like badminton, volleyball, croquet, corn-hole and the like. You are ambitions and will do an excellent job, all in good time. You might add a finer gravel to solidify the existing stone drive, and add asphalt as budget permits. Keeping the slopes to 10 percent or less will allow comfortable walking and bicycling up the hillside. A couple stone columns down at the drive entrance would be appropriate, along with a post lamp and the house number and maybe you will add a nickname in the future. I refer to my home as Hill House as it is in the town of Round Hill, which I enjoy when my GPS says "you are arriving at Hill House". Happy New Year, John, you have a lot to be thankful for.

Since there are buildings close by, I would think you'd want to solve the drainage problem. When you pump the water out, where are you putting it? I'm asking to find out how far away the safe space is where water can continue to leave the property on it's own. If you can show the drainage path in a picture, please add it. Many of the catch basins and underground pipes installed in private yards are 1) inferior -- too small -- to begin with. Typically, the pipe is 4" dia. which will not evacuate much, and 2) The underground pipes are often clogged from silt. They are especially prone to clogging if they are run with an inconsistent downhill fall. The type of pipe and plant materials nearby can effect them, too. A larger pipe and catch basin may solve your problem.

I would not spend one cent on putting in grass or an irrigation system or any live landscaping whatsoever. It makes no sense whatsoever for you to spend your hard-earned money making improvements to a property that you do not own, and the money you spend can never be deducted from your taxes or re-couped in any way. Furthermore, the cost of water is prohibitive where you live, and watering a yard costs a lot of money. Once you put in a yard, you will have to maintain it, or it will look even worse. In the summer in southern California many places prohibit the watering of lawns for weeks on end because of water shortages and what you put in now will die. Right now, you were given a wasteland. That's what you need to give it back to the landlord as, unless your lease says otherwise. Please carefully read your lease and make sure he didn't slip something in about your putting in grass. If not, take multiple photos of the front and back and side yards that have the date on them, and and have the landlord sign them on the back, and you sign them too, and you keep a couple of copies and give a set to the landlord. I would add a codicil to the lease that both of you sign saying something like photographs are given to the landlord showing the current condition of the front, back and side yards with no living vegetation whatsoever and piles of dead vegetation. The lessee (that is you) bears no responsibility for planting these areas. As the dead vegetation is present at move-in of the lessee deemed a fire hazard it is the responsibility of the lessor (that is the landlord) to mitigate the hazard as soon as possible but in any event no later than 10 working days of notification of such hazard if it exists. And then you should contact the local fire house and have someone come out and see if the conditions constitute a fire hazard. If they do consider it a fire hazard, get it in writing on official fire department letterhead. Because if they do consider it a fire hazard, your renters insurance (do you have that by the way?) may not even cover your damages because they may consider it negligence. And do you really want to try to sue your landlord for the value of your posessions? And why should you have to pay someone to clean up the mess that previous tenants made? Did you clean up their dirty kitchen? NO So don't clean up their dirty and unsafe yard. For the Houzzers that are unaware, California is a tinderbox.