Did you see this post? Here is a link that might be useful: Stone patties

Catkim...love your post....lol...unfortunately I can't let him see it or you'll give him way too many ideas! Kid's got enough of his own! LOL (I do like the flagpole idea though...like them all, but that's realistic for us! ha ha ha) It is far enough away that his little house could be treated as a stand alone project...I had at one time considered putting up a little fence around it, giving him his own little yard...but then I'd have to mow that, too! My son just turned 8...so his "playhouse" is fast becoming a "clubhouse" of sorts this year. There's not much inside it...a ladder up to the "loft", a bench, couple chairs, toys...and I did put in a cordless, battery operated doorbell for him last year which he just loved! My husband needs to reinforce the windows...because they aren't withstanding the abuse of opening and closing, and having Alex and his friends climbing through them (just swing out double windows). The porch will be painted white, like the rest of the trim this year, and I plan on putting a couple of hanging solar lights on it, one on each corner post. I have lights in mind, I have two on my chicken coop already, and they have served us well. Alex has a sandbox in a completely different part of our yard, I had considered moving it near the playhouse....big task...as it's a big sandbox...but thought it might add to the look too...I don't know. But for now, I want to concentrate on some greenery around it. An apple tree would be nice...and I like the burning bush idea...I love those, but that part of my yard, when the trees are not bare, doesn't get much sun because of the treeline there. But never thought about it...the house should be out far enough to avoid that problem!

CCP - I am late to respond, but I am not sure what pictures to add. If you look at the ones I put up on 4/15/11 and imagine grass, you pretty much have the layout. The swings are steps from the patio, and running around space is more open behind the garage. General Update - Another season in, we cured the drainage issue in the spring, mostly. The dry creek to nowhere, that my architect and landscaper thought would work, didn't. We were left with rocks on top of mud, instead of mud. We pulled it, and did a DIY (disaster filled install) french drain going across two and a half properties. We used "EZ-Flow" Pipes from NDS, which is basically an alternative to gravel. We are having some problems with the pipes bucking after a heavy rain and needing to be re-worked in my next,next door neighbor's yard, but we are planning to add more fill to weigh it down. Moving the water away to the community retention pond was the only cure though. Kind of wish we had written a check as opposed to DIY though. In terms of the plantings, almost everything has thrived - except the dogwood and sourwood in the rear. We replaced the sourwood once and its replacement is hurting. There is a bit of grade there and we've read that sourwood's like water, so we think that its iffy that we have the right plant there given that the water drains. The dogwood, we may replace this weekend. That particular tree was always kind of weak even before the transplant from the front yard to the back, so we will give it one more shot before looking at another selection. The patio (and deck above) gather mold rather easily. In a few years I'd like to rip the cheap composite deck out and replace it with something (tropical hardwood?, regular wood?), but we'll live with it for a while. The mold/moss (green stuff) on the bluestone is a bit more disconcerting, as we wonder if it is a sign that the area below the patio is on the wetter side. The ground is firm, and there is gravel below, and the gutters are buried/routed away, but we speculate that water may be a factor. In terms of our enjoyment - we had a labor day party last weekend and could put a couple dozen people in the yard no problem. The kids like to hid in the tall grasses by the side stairs, and the curb appeal is nice. So far, so good.

I should have mentioned, in order to avoid distortion, post the pictures individually instead of making them into computer generated panoramas. Much of the front of the house cannot be ameliorated by plantings, since more than 50% of it is covered by paving. White may not be the best color for the garage door. Maybe it should be different than trim or body color. Seems like the left side could use a tree in an island bed and the tree @ right could use a bed. Some groundcover, perennials and annuals could screen the foundation. There could be a spreading shrub off the corner of the front porch. I don't think that retaining walls and terraces are necessary or that they would resolve perceived shortcomings of the overall scene. Part of the solution will come when the existing young trees grow to larger size.