I took some pictures and uploaded them to Photobucket. I will also upload a sketch with what is currently in our yard and some ideas we have for possible changes. I have a sketch with exact measurements and locations of trees, etc., but it's too big to scan in so I'll have to do a basic sketch on some smaller paper as soon as I get a chance. The dimensions of the backyard are almost exactly 80' wide by 80' deep. It appears to be deeper than it is wide, but maybe that's because the veggie garden (which is 15' wide by 47' deep) takes up a good chunk of the east side of the yard. I really like the idea of going to some favorite nurseries and collecting business cards from designers. I was trying Google searches and met with one company whose work looked nice, but it turns out that they don't do design work without being locked into a contract with them to do the bulk of the landscaping work. We'd have to sign a contract (telling them our budget range) and they would draw up plans within that range and do most of the work, subbing out stuff they don't do themselves, with the design being part of the package deal. I think I'd rather work with someone who has more flexibility in allowing us to do parts of the work ourselves without being penalized for it. lazygardens and butterflygardening: Thanks for the helpful links- I am reading through them! alygal- We love the idea of raising chickens (or ducks!), but unfortunately our city doesn't allow them in residential areas. Some of the towns around us havejust recently started allowing them, so maybe it will be a possibility in the future! Here are some of our current ideas for making our yard more attractive and usable in the ways we'd like to use it. - Possibly ditch the sandbox, although I am torn because the kids do use it when it's nice outside. The problem is that it's so close to the house that they always come in still covered with sand, AND it's location really limits the width of the planting bed around the breakfast nook. If we keep the sandbox, I think I'd at least make the flagstone path along it more narrow to allow for a slightly wider bed there. - Widen pretty much all of the beds to allow more layered planting (to increase attractiveness and privacy in the yard). I would also like to have a nice bed along the patio and around where the sandbox is, so basically be left with an area of the grass in the middle of the yard. - Possibly add a slight berm along the garden fence and plant a variety of shrubs and small trees to make the garden less prominent since it's not much too look at most of the year. - Make the patio more usable by extending it a little deeper (it's now 20' wide by 10' deep). - Add something to get more shade on the patio. It gets shade starting in the mid-afternoon and through the evening from our neighbors house to the west, so I don't really want to add a hard cover (my husband's idea) because I think it would detract from the look of the house. I am thinking a well placed tree would eventually have the right effect (and I'm content to use a patio umbrella as needed until then). - Add a screened in gazebo (about 12' x 12') south of the patio area toward the south side of the yard for dinners and entertaining. My husband is a mosquito magnet so he really wants this for enjoying the yard in the evenings. - Add a structure toward the southeast corner of the yard (about 8' x 10') to be used as a playhouse/garden retreat. I picture it looking like a little cottage style potting shed more than a mini playhouse, so that even after the kids outgrow it, I can still enjoy it as a garden retreat. - Revise current pathways through the yard and add pathways as needed to new structures, to the veggie garden/shed, etc. Would like to maybe use some reddish flagstone in addition to the buff ones we currently have and mix them up a bit as the buff looks so bland to me against our house. - Possibly cover the patio with flagstone to make it more attractive and more cohesive with pathways. Thanks for any advice or suggestions you may have. Here is a link that might be useful: Backyard Pictures

While I think that the "FAQ" as outlined by swanoir was presented tongue in cheek ('the humus'), many of the subsequent comments and/or links to threads that could/should be included in a FAQ were presented in a more serious tone. And maybe they do make sense as a foundation to a real LD forum FAQ. But I've also sensed something else in these comments that may contribute to the apparent lack of communication between new posters seeking advice and those that regularly frequent this forum and offer it. And that is that the long checklist provided by Miss R must be (or should be) answered in detail before posting. Well, of course not! But it is definitely something worth reviewing and giving some thought to. This checklist, or something very similar, is what most designers utilize when first meeting with a prospective client. It gives them a feeling for what the client wants to do with the property, how they intend to use it, what they hope to get out of it and how much effort (time/$$) are they are intending to put into it. Hopefully, reviewing an outline or checklist such as this could help to refine and focus some of those blank slate questions and even educate those new posters totally unfamiliar with the process the degree of complexity, the number of variables and exactly what is involved in the formulation of a landscape design. Even DIY landscape texts intended for the homeowner with no previous design or landscaping experience offer similar checklists to get one started thinking about the process. Obviously, this is overkill for those questions that are more issue-specific, but I think very appropriate for those that are much broader and far less focused.

Karin - Your point about design vs plant selection is well taken. When I started with this unsightly, grassy strip, the only things I knew for certain I wanted was a curving path, a tree and a shrub of some kind. I'm not sure if I have the tree (a columnar cherry) and the shrub (a blue mist bluebeard) in the right places. I was shooting for balancing the vertical structure of the fence with vertical elements along the side of the house, but am not certain that was the best plan. I think you're right about adding more static elements. I'm not sure where they would be best added - I assume along the fence. Any ideas you could share about that would be appreciated. The "side yard" strings had lots of good information. surf_girl - The path goes on past the cherry tree to a small concrete slab (about 4 feet wide and 10 feet long) from which steps go up to a side door tucked back into the corner of the house. When I go from my house to my backyard, it's on this path. The space from the patio to the tree is around 20 feet, with another 3 feet of path past the tree to the small concrete slab at the bottom of the steps. You may be right about the space along the fence being difficult because it is so narrow. The total width from the house to the fence is about 8 1/2 feet. Around 4 feet of that is on the house side of the path, where I have the bluebeard and the cherry tree and 24-30" of that width is along the fence. When I put in the path I realized this might be a problem, but I didn't want to put the path in the middle...and at the point I didn't want to put it along either the house or the fence. At this point, I'm willing to consider all options! naples - I really like the idea of putting flowering vines along the fence and moving the coneflowers to the area where the path turns so that they'll have more space. After reading everyone's input, and the side yard strings...I may move the path closer to the house. I really love walking along the path with something growing along both sides...particularly plants like the hyssop which smell so nice when you brush up against them! Thank you all! Mags

Sarah, You can utilize the bushes now that are already in the "shady" bed that you want a japanese maple in, by the way, I think it would be a beautiful focal point there. Good idea! Hydrangreas are nice to grow with them, and you can look online to see some shady garden ideas for the maple, but I would make it my focus. The plants on the other side of the steps, what are they? Is that a holly at the corner of the house? Does it stay ever green? It's a nice size, and if you buy something small it will take many years to grow in the way you want it to look. If its not a holly, a beautiful emerald green arborvatie would look nice there. They aren't real expensive either to buy a good size 6 or 7 footer for that corner, and they stay bright gorgeous green all winter. I have one, I put it right on the corner of my house, but it was really small when I planted it and it isn't even 5 ft tall yet ugh. Indian Hawthorne, an under planted shrub that is easy to prune if necessary, is also a shrub you sould look up online. They are not hard to care for, and flower in spring for about a month. They "play well" with others, LOL and they are evergreen. You should consider them. Albelia, a shrub that is evergreen, prunes easy, fragrant pretty flowers through out the summer, I have "Kaleidoscope", the leaves are 3 colors, you should look that up online, you will have to prune when you feel its getting too big, but I only prune the one I have once a year. That's not too bad considering I have color in the winter. Gardenia that is hardy to your area would look nice in that alcove. "Chuck Hayes" is very hardy, down to zone 6. Evergreen, just needs a little compost and pine mulch, and requires about the same water as your jap. maple. FOr the corner of your garage area, at the end of the house, you might want to look at Evergreen Dogwood tree. They had them at the nursery this year, I have not seen one yet growing in landscaping, but they are new and bloom really nice in the spring. Just another suggestion for that corner. I have a sweetbay magnolia. I absolutely love it, though it is pretty young. I have it growing in full sun, and I water it alot, and it has bloomed this summer, which I was thrilled about. But, it will get big. I have seen pics online, and they will grow tall. I need it for the shade, I have very little, and I planted it really close to my driveway, but I will trim it if I have to. I really just wanted to give you a few suggestions as to what plants I already have that are evergreen and I appreciate in the cold months when there are no leaves. Good Luck to you.