You seem to have established a summer-blooming theme so continue with shrubs that bloom in summer - if you want to run with that. Or you could go with a tropical effect. Visits to independent garden centers with sales staff that may actually be well-versed in plants and planting, asking about what they have that blooms in summer (or looks tropical) should turn up lots - especially if you visit during summer (start nosing around now and then make subsequent forays through the growing season). You will find that the magnolia drops rubbish for months at a time, hopefully this will not be an annoyance. So far your place looks like you want it to be very tidy. This cultivar is also prone to mildew problems in this area, if it develops patchiness on the leaves that causes them to drop prematurely and produce a gaunt aspect, then you will have joined the club. Not all specimens seen here are affected, but many are.

Your "so many projects" problem as well as your recent post about these rock walls makes me see some merit in your husband's plan. You have a real problem with weeds in those rock walls that you need to beat, so it would pay off to take a long view. The long view of your plan says that if you leave this dirt exposed, no matter what you plant, you will have a weed-infested mess by the end of the summer. I would actually think it quite a good plan to do the fabric and rocks thing for now, for a year or two, until you have the weed problem in this whole area more under control, possibly grass removed at the base of the rock wall. You could leave a little space open to try some of the plants you have in mind. Try your delosperma in a sunny area and see how it spreads and grows before you commit a whole area to it. Plant and nurture some other ground covers as well in a sunny, open bed somewhere. As you get the whole property under control, you can gradually remove the rocks and fabric here and plant up a little more area. You can even plant in holes in the fabric, either a bit of ground cover here or a smoke bush there, and remove the rocks and fabric as they grow in. By the way, this looks like a perfect place for some nice carpeting junipers - "Mother Lode" for example, with some of the blue ones. KarinL

The fence will keep your kids away from the poison ivy and be grateful your neighbors are not spraying weed killer near your growing family and blasting your ears out with leaf blowers. Looks like you have a nice deck where guests will be picking up their drinks, and if you took that picture from your living room, maybe you would like to be looking down toward guest gathering area near the fence, with the trees behind, and your kids swing set could be tucked on the opposite side of the yard, not in the line of sight. Do you want something like a fire pit or lounge furniture? A structure like a gazebo or a pergola? What are the bare patches on the lawn?

none of what you want is a cheap undertaking! But what the heck! why not call in a landscape designer? show him/her the pics that celery did. tell him you want something like that w/a pathway and designated front yard. what you need is some professional grading. (the people over in Landscape Design/ Garden dilemmas) could help you a lot better w/ideas. Maybe DigDoug will draw something up for you. he is a genius. over by the sunken in portion (which is fine. is it a cement slab? did you know you can paint and stencil that to look like tile? ) I'd get the yard graded so that it's flat and easy to walk around. I'm sure you could have drainage installed. then redo the deck w/some stairs that lead down to the patio. have a spa area, porch w/a swing, some chairs, a kitchen, tv, whatever you need. look into the grading option and landscape design. this is cement slab, painted and stenciled. tons of DIY's online (Royal Design STudio stencils, or Cutting Edge Stencils all have tutorials) you could even do a 'rug' and paint the surrounding slab a solid color