EEP! Screen the deck so critters (and kids) can't get under it. To the right you could build in some storage area with doors for toys and garden tools. Regardless of budget, lay out the WHOLE PLAN right now. Check out the sprinkler system and see where each zone waters, and mark it on your plan. You can easily change an entire zone to be a drip system for veggie gardens or landscape borders. You can't have a single zone for lawn sprinklers and drip system ... neither will work correctly. Identify all those plants along the fence - most of them are probably poor choices and can be removed now, but you may have some things worth saving. You also may have some vines that will destroy the fence if they don't get a proper trellis (I think I see grapes). 1 - Minimize the lawn area. One big enough for a soft play area for toddlers is no larger than 20x20. To have a good play area for older kids, send them to the park - they need huge areas. 2 - Set up your activity zones ... landscape planning is just like furniture and house planning. Where does it make sense to do what? 3 - Decide on the future plants, generically speaking, and have a list of species and varieties and a spot on the plan for them. Native and whatever non-native can do well with minimal watering will also For inexpensive to free landscape stuff, keep checking Craigslist and freecycle for free plants. Whenever I divide perennials or remove them, I usually advertise them. If you have a plan, you will know whether the freebies are going to work or not, and save a lot of time. Xeriscaping Tips: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/45812/tips_on_xeriscaping_its_not_zeroscaping.html I like the deck - re-staining it and fixing any loose boards is all I would do. Here is a link that might be useful: landscape design for novices

This is the organic Gardening thread! Some interesting points have been expressed in the thread. One of the key organic principles is replenishment; of course referring to nutrients and organic matter. The use of cover crops, rotations, intercropping, green manures, recycling refuse and manure to name a few, fill the replenishment options. That certainly does not preclude the organic amendments for deficient nutrients or adjustment of pH. The OP specifically poised the rotation topic. It compels me to ask of those who plant the same plants in the same location, "What do you proclaim to be the cause of pests and disease?" If a plant(s) succumbs to a pest or disease in that location from year to year, do you not think that the origin might be the soil? Rotation is primarily directed at avoidance of direct exposure to pests and disease that exist in the soil. While there is also truth in healthy soil reducing the impact of pests and diseases, moving the host plant to a fresh location reduces the incidence. The continuos presence of the host (as mentioned by Peter) continues the cyles of pests and disease without interruption. By rotating crops you insert a non-host species or one that is antagonistic to that pest or disease (i.e. - marigolds for nematodes). Diversity of planting is also an enhancement, especially for pests and disease. The availability of nutrients is also a factor in the growth rate of the plants; a plant growing too fast or slow suffers stresses which are invitation to pests and diseases. Being in a zone 5 and growing many long season heirlooms I am compelled to start most for transplanting. Timing the starts attempts to have a strong plant able to adapt easily when placed within the suitable growing conditions. Transplants also permit me to properly prepare the beds. For me rotation means having a growing plant or crop in the soil 70-80% of the year. A fall green manure and/or cover crop is part of the plan. Timing of fall sowing may require inter-seeding to permit suitable germination and growth before first frost. Turning under the spring growth prior to transplanting adds nutrients and organic matter which must be given 2-3 weeks for initial decomposition; so not to starve the transplants of nitrogen. Rotation does have a part in the small and medium scale. For my two distance-separated plots totalling nearly 10,000 square feet it is simple to rotate plantings by simply leapfrogging beds. My five year rotation plan shifts each wide (3 feet) bed about 21 feet (including the paths). For nutrient replentishment I strictly limit amendments to compost, composted manure (cattle/horse) and green manure. My soil is tested every three years for comparison. My nutrient management plan is based on improvement versus maintenance. My primary plot is sand which has produced for nearly 40 years. A new plot of silt-loam on a beef farm has been in production for me over five years. My only bad year was 2009 due to very brief summer weather and only about 30% sunny days. I'm sticking to my rotation plan.

These are just my thoughts if it was mine...so its my preferences...keep that in mind... If she is a co-worker..and wants maintaince to keep low, there is prolly a reason, like a job maybe that keeps much time? I would personally steer clear of roses...prunning, black spots, and ect are not low maintaince..tho I know rose lovers will argue that... but my feelings are if I want low maintaince..I dont want roses, not matter how much I love them....I like the arbor deal...what about a Autum clemitis? Or Some other larger variety? I find them virtually maintaince free other than a seasonal prunning. They Seem to find their own way once started. She has great bones ...a gorgeous patio...could she benefit from a covering for that patio of some kind? I find a patio in full sun with no shade is often not used...I can see LARGE containers of color on the patio...for impact..the patio looks quite large..keep proportion in mind and clutter down to showcase the beautiful brickwork...if she wants low maintaince again..and blasts of color..consider day lillys of varies colors and bloom times..practically no maintaince..lots of impact...what about lavendar? I like its low maintaince...hostas a bit for "fake bushes". I like to use hosta where bushes with falling leaves or triming causes maintaince..hosta's do not..other than dividing them occasionally..and cutting dead leaves off and the end of the season...some of the bigger varieties can mimic bushes...pampas grass? Or some of the other grasses? They have a bit of a messy look..and have season maintance..but not weekly really....Black Eyed susans are a fav of mine for mid/to late season maintaince free color...live for ever? Great fall color..no maintaince..Coral bells? I can see her keeping much of what she has for privacy and just trimming it up and building the beds out..lots of curves and bumps that mimic the curve of her patio? Using the curves and bumps to create a grass courtyard through the middle that forms little roundish rooms kind of...a bench and fountain maybe in one of those little grass rooms? A place to admire from the back side..the patio and the artwork that new beds created? Enough to soften..but not to create much work....she has great bones to start with.....it could be quite warm and inviting and a escape from the busy world. Does she want to go headlong into it..or does she want to do it in stages? That could also impact what she wants...Everything you plant creates maintaince..but by choosing carefully you can really "limit" maintaince..

Thank you Carol. Wonderful point on the bees. And you're right about roses growing like crazy in my inland area of northern California. I have around 30 in the front yard and they grow so fast... with few problems and very little care even though I don't spray. Although I have to admit that I choose roses that grow well here, will require little care and I do make sure to keep them well ventilated by planting them far apart with just mulch underneath. There is a little planning that goes into it so I guess I can take some credit for that. :) I will stick with my original plan. Organic homegrown veggies in the potager garden and the roses up towards the house and the main patio. Maybe I will just add a few fragrant rose bushes near the potager garden so I can enjoy their beauty while I'm tending to the veggies. I can't wait to see my yard in bloom too!!!! Like any remodel, it has been full of ups and downs, but now the dream is materializing and it is just lovely. :)