Disclaimer: I am not a garden designer. But I do, like you, live in the Pacific Northwest (WA). When you were developing your garden, it sounds like you were thinking of the new area as a place to experiment/be creative/have some fun. I understand why you want a basalt birdbath, they are beautiful. Would you consider instead a ceramic birdbath?. When I searched for "birdbath ceramic garden" at houzz.com, some stunning examples came up, including one made out of two pails and a garbage can lid. A rock garden can be quite easy to maintain. I helped my neighbor build his 5 years ago, but have not yet built one for myself. Here are some suggestions to think about: 1. Consider making the garden larger than 6' x 5'. 2. Dig out some of the soil, and mound sand at LEASt 18" deep. Alpine and rock garden plants do well in our area in sand beds. (My neighbor's large rock garden is up to 5 ft deep!) 3. Add whatever kind of rocks you like and can manage, but be sure they are partially buried and look like something you could imagine seeing when you are hiking in the mountains. A garden near here has rocks small enough for one person to move, but looks natural, as the rocks were placed with thought and sufficiently buried. 4. After planting, add a couple of inches of grit as mulch. You may have to look around to find the kind of rock mulch that'll give you a color that you like. For example, my neighbor uses granite mulch (white/black), but he is red/green colorblind, so this increases the contrast for him. (I've seen brownish 3/8" crushed basalt that I'd like to use for my garden.) 5. Start with some woody plants to add structure and winter interest. Locals love 'Chief Joseph' ponderosa pine, as it turns a beautiful yellow in the winter, and grows quite slowly. Or how about a sculptural manzanita? Add miniature conifers (growing not more than 1" per year) in blues and golds and greens, and little shrubs like Kalmiopsis. 6. Plant ground covering subshrubs like crowberry, shrubby penstemons (e.g. Penstemon davidsonii or P. cardwellii) and dryas. These can add masses of texture or color and look decent in the winter. 6. Add perennials for summer color. Lewisia cotyledon hybrids are beautiful! How about columbines? Pacific coast irises? We found that the beargrass that grows in our mountains does well for us; it has shiny green leaves year round and sends up those dramatic blooms. 7. Add bulbs for spring color. There are quite a few natives that are beautiful but underused. Camas? Brodiaea? Erythronium (fawn lilies)? I like to grow west coast natives, as they relate to my environment, but others like to grow plants from the Alps or the Mediterranean or from South Africa or the Himalayas. Whatever is used, plant in groups or use mat-forming plants so that there are blocks of color and texture. Well, you may already know lots about growing alpine and rock garden plants, or you may want to do something quite different from what I'm describing. Here is a link that might be useful: This OR nursery has links to their How-To Pages on rock gardening This post was edited by IshCountryGal on Wed, Jul 24, 13 at 3:56

MizGG! I used to own that very piece! Well, maybe not THAT very piece, but one exactly like it. It's gorgeous but my ex retained custody of it, darn it all! I wish it was larger and would fill my library wall. I would buy it in a heartbeat if only it were a bit wider. Well, a lot wider actually. Thank you for thinking of me! I really am enjoying the dining room window with only the little succulent I brought home yesterday. It seems to add enough of "something" that makes the space feel more alive. I could bring in a couple more small pots of herbs and also use them to cook with. At any rate, that one simple plant has worked wonders to make me feel that the space is not so bare, as strange as that probably sounds!

I wonder why you don't make a nice concrete pad and walk on which the refuse containers could sit and ride easily, without lifting them or dragging over bumpy ground ...? And then screen them with a nice lattice (or otherwise decorative) panel, in front of which is landscaped ...? Your picture does not show enough to really know, but it seems like a small tree would be good here. It also seems like a sea of low groundcover would be far preferable to a sea of mulch.

Lots of options to decorate your large wall. Large statement piece of your favorite art, gallery wall of artwork, neutral or colorful would work. Custom mirrored wall or decorative mirror is another option. Stacking two or three mirrors horizontally would be a good look. in your space. I personally would leave the chandy as is as I like the metal contrast. Depends on the look you are going for. Do what you like.