Yes, I don't have any facilities for fussy plants. They all go outside, they all come in. Plants at ease in the conditions I have are what I prefer, and Philo genus offers ample opportunity to fill a house with various pretty leaves. I wouldn't enjoy a plant that couldn't grow well here. Apparently I'm one of the unlucky few sensitive (or have developed sensitivity) to the alkaloids in some Philodendrons. Heart-leaf vine gives me a rash if I get the sap on me. I haven't experimented with other Philos, but now operating under the assumption that all will give me a rash if I get their sap on me. So that would be one thing to not like, but if I eliminated all of the plants I have that I'm allergic to, that would be a lot of them, definitely not just Philos. Knowing about it, I can just avoid exposure to sap when trimming/propagating. Just touching the unbroken leaves or stems is harmless, but washing right away after contacting the sap doesn't seem to avoid getting a rash. I don't think this should prevent anyone from being able to enjoy these plants if they find them appealing, as long as caution is taken for sensitive individuals to avoid touching the sap.

check out "Planterina" on youtube . She has got some magnificent pothos and philos. They do grow bigger leaves when poled for upright growth. I had a heartleaf philo doing really well until I put it in a larger pot. Ever since, it barely hangs on, tiny leaves and has really shrunk. I'm about to do some new stuff with it to try to save it and make it thrive.

I mostly agree with texasweed in hesitating to till. I realize you can find hundreds of articles on that topic, but you will never find a reliable landscaper that tills before installing a garden. They always use a tractor and box blade to develop perfect drainage and seed bed. If you are in a new development, your soil was probably graded already. If you add more soil you are almost guaranteed to ruin the drainage. If you end up with water draining into the house, you are in for a long time of headaches. I'm am assuming you don't need more soil. No matter what soil the contractor left you with, it is adequate to start a lawn. Pure sand is what I use as a replacement for my lost topsoil. Sand will never be "topsoil" but it works great for grass. Removing the rocks is a good idea, but I would not go way overboard on that either. My bedrock protrudes from the surface in places and is as much as 18 inches deep at the deepest. You can't dig holes in my garden without a pick or jack hammer. But I digress. Whatever soil you are starting with is fine. It will become topsoil before you know it. As for seeding, the most I would do, assuming your soil is properly graded from the contractor, loosen the very top with a leaf rake, apply a mix of Kentucky bluegrass seed and turf-type tall fescue, roll it down with a water filled roller, and water. KBG takes a little longer to sprout than fescue so keep watering daily until the KBG comes in. Set your mower to the highest setting and mow when the grass is tall enough to be mowed. Back off on watering frequency as you can but increase the time you water. Eventually you should be watering every other week unless your part of WA is in the desert. Then during the hot part of summer you might need to water weekly. Fertilize after you have mowed the grass for the second time. You don't add weed killer unless and until you have weeds to kill. Don't worry about not having weeds. Spring seeded lawns are very susceptible to crabgrass sprouts. Keep your grass growing up tall and that will help keep the crabgrass out.

I would say that it's a Monstera deliciosa too. Which some call a "Split-Leaf Philodendron." Even though it's not actually a philodendron at all, but a close relative. Mine was a juvenile when I first bought it, with only a few newer leaves having one split in them. These plants are native to the rainforest and climb up the sides of trees in search for brighter light. So don't be afraid to water them and give them more sunlight. That's why it's leaning so far to one side, in search of more sunlight. I place mine outdoors where it gets some direct sunlight in the mornings and evenings, but gets dappled sunlight/shade during the afternoons. I have it in a fast draining soil that doesn't hold on to a lot of water. So I keep it pretty well watered and don't let it dry out. Tho, when I bring it back indoors for the cold months, I cut back on watering somewhat, letting it dry out a little before watering it again. Here where I live in Arkansas, we have been constantly getting rained on, and rained on, and rained on, over and over all Spring long (sorry California), and my plants have been loving it. Here is a photo of mine that I took last year after repotting it. It has since began growing much larger leaves on it more than double the size in the photo. Which are still fairly small in comparison to how huge they can truly get. They don't call them monsters for no good reason, haha! Easily one of my favorite plants. :)