I am a confirmed, dyed in the wool DIY'er and with budget limitations that further require this approach. I feel as if I am smart, I know how to research, and so I should be able to learn how to do almost anything well enough to suit me needs. My previous homes landscaping was my first foray into the field and I attacked it- I read, I went on garden tours, I went to plant shows, seminars, and everything else under the sun to learn the basics. As a result I had a yard full of plants that had each been moved ten times in order to try and obtain the look I wanted. It was exhausting and this method continued for nearly six years. We joked about my plants having frequent flyer miles- my husband is a saint because he dug, moved things, and did everything I asked over and over and over in my attempts to capture a look. The money we spent on plants! Only to remove them and give them away when they did not work- it is sickening how much time and money we wasted. When we decided to redo all of our fencing I took the plunge and hired a landscape designer to make me a plan that we could implement as funds allowed. I was on a totally tight budget and did everything I could to make it easy for her to do my job- I had a survey ready for her, I had measurements, I had a list of every plant I owned that I wanted to incorporate and a list of those species I did not want, and I had clear ideas of the function of each space within my yard. She came up with a plan that totally did it for me. This was in 1996 and I think it cost me something like $350. The only items I had her company install were three larger shade trees. Everything else we did on our own over the next few years and it turned out beautifully. I know for a fact that is what sold the house in a very poor real estate market in '07- the house itself had problems but the curb and garden appeal were off the charts and the rear garden was a wonderland. Which is my long winded way of telling you that IMO spending money on a solid design up front is far cheaper in the long run that trying to do it yourself, especially if you don't have a demonstrated knack for it. You can spend that much money on plants at Home Depot in one weekend only to have half of them fail from being repeatedly moved or be inappropriate to your needs once you get them home. It would be FAR cheaper and more efficient, IMO, to work off of a sound design from the beginning. If you like you can substitute various plants within the design but the solid bones of the plan- the balance, the scale, working with textures- some things just go more smoothly and successfully when you bring an expert into the process. Of course you can do what you like- but IMO planting a plant one time and having it be the right plant for the specific spot that serves the intended purpose and renders you a gorgeous, easily maintained, well functioning yard- well that's worth the price of a professional design. I don't have any idea what they are charging nowadays but I do know that this yard will be with you for decades, or at least as long as you remain in the home. It is your daily environment, it influences your life constantly, it is the space our kids grow up in and remember all their lives. Even if I had to skip this years vacation or put off that bigger TV I would try and find a way to insure that my design was sound and the best way to accomplish that, IMO, is to have a pro do it.

Thank you all for your help! Saturday night we went over to a friend's house and I love their yard. Very kid-friendly, but also areas for veggies and fruits. We had him come over and help us with some ideas too. Between the ideas we got on here and the help he gave us with the shape of the yard, etc. we finally have a plan we like and can start implementing in stages. We are going to have the kids area (sandbox & playhouse) up by the house. That is the only area that gets any shade, and with these 100 degree days, well we need a shaded area for the boys to play in. We will move all the berries to the far east end of the yard, all together. We will build another planter box along that side for them. That will put the yellowjackets far away! He helped draw out a yard shape, kind of looks like a golf course green, and I like it. It will still leave most of the area lawn, which we wanted for as the kids grow so they can have space to run. But what it will help with is drawing everything together, making it look less fragmented. We now are just trying to decide what to use for the border between grass and the other areas: concrete curbing, pavers, etc. Thank you so much for all of your input. Thank you saypoint for the drawing you took the time to make. I would still love to see some pictures of other people's backyards, so if anyone has any, please post a link. I'm very visual. I do much better to say, do it like this person did, instead of creating my own ideas!

How about a patio mat? Patio mat from Amazon They are really for camping and keeping dirt and grass out of the camper, but they'd probably work well for your purpose too as long as your chairs don't have pointy legs that could puncture the mat. We have one like in the link but they come in larger sizes. Water goes through them, doesn't kill grass under them, lightweight, and roll up easily for storage. The only downside is that they have to be folded before rolling and those creases don't come out - at least not in the short time we use it.

If cars not parked in garage, what is garage used for? Oh, the usual embarrassing things. Mostly storage and clutter, but also my de facto workshop (table saw, workbench, miter saw…). Every so often I say “This is ridiculous!” and try to clean it out. But wait, I need that pile of snow tires, I still need my large tile saw until I finish the backsplash, can’t do without a lawnmower, where else can we put the bicycles, etc., etc. Very frustrating. Even if you don't really NEED privacy, I think it would make a better looking, more comfortable space to have some plantings/structures that create a SENSE of privacy, [snip]. Oh, me too! I did not mean to imply that privacy was not desirable. The way you describe the possibilities sounds fabulous and attractive! What kind of garden is the one between walk and fence? And you wish to continue with that activity? I wish I could say that the gardens are treated with benign neglect, but I am afraid it doesn’t quite rise to the level of “benign.” ;) It was along that fence that we had a stand of gray dogwoods from a previous owner. As I mentioned, they were very unruly, and we did not even like them that much, and our neighbors complained bitterly about the suckers. So I took them out over the last two years, and there is essentially nothing but weeds there now, except for one French lilac. If we decide to put anything there, it should be something low maintenance. I do not feel strongly in favor (or disfavor!) of putting something there — whatever makes sense! You didn’t ask, but, at present, there are the following well-established plantings. Along the side of the house is a bed of hostas. Along the back of the house there are ferns. Along the property line with the white house, there is a dense bed of tiger lilies abutting a dense bed of daylilies, with a couple of cute interlopers (clematis, bleeding hearts). All of these were there before we moved in nearly 20 years ago, and have survived under our shameful neglect! I am not tied to any of them. If you are an inexperienced bobcat operator, it will be likely that you will create much more damage to the grading operation (and maybe some other things!) than you will be likely to accomplish or fix. A word to the wise is sufficient! I will heed your advice on this. I will look forward to getting a grading plan done by someone who knows what he or she is doing! The space to the right of garage as you're looking from the house ... how is that used now? Great question! That is indeed our space, but it “feels like” our neighbors’ space. About 10 years ago, I planted a row of dwarf Korean lilacs. I am not married to these, so if you can see a better option, I am open to it! (Parenthetically, in a fairer universe, the wedge next to my garage would belong to the eastern neighbors, and the wedge next to the western neighbors’ garage would belong to me, but it was not to be…. The western neighbors do not use their wedge, so I did ask if they would be interested in selling that area to us (or leasing or selling an easement), but they decided not to pursue this idea.) Thanks again for your time, Yardvaark.