Thanks for the advice! Would Home Depot do the design or does it have to be a plant nursery?

Not sure about Home Depot but you can ask them.

if you do not find a design for it, may i suggest you look at your yard from inside the house. is there a view you would normally see a lot? what would you enjoy seeing there? some might say a flower bed, or a seating area, or the chicken coop? try imagining this area as an extension of the living area within your home. once you have the focal point worked out, move on to the next most important thing (to you). hope this gives you a start.

Thank you, msplankton! I have two sets of French doors along the wall facing the yard - one set in the dining room and another in the family room. I think a garden and seating would be nice to see from the inside. I'd definitely like to keep the hens off to the side.

The disadvantage about bamboo is that it does tend to have a leaf drop season. However your best investment might be a leaf blower. Just create a small barrier in front of the bamboo and blow the leaves in and leave them to mulch. They don't drop continuously (usually in the fall, and then with new growth the culms drop off).By adding a terrace with paving and gravel you will also minimise the "looking after grass" effect. Also don't discount the versatility of artificial turf in the areas where you want greenery but don't want the bother of caring for it

I agree when trying to maintain a space where grass just won't grow that converting outdoor living spaces utilizing hardsurfaces (both permeable and impermeable) can make a yard more useful and aesthetically pleasing. Mulching leaves onsite is a wonderful way to recycle them back into nature. I have too many customers that "have to" have grass. Once they give up their ambitions of a thick lawn they love that they can use their space without having to deal with mud getting tracked in the house.

Get a plan. I wouldn't trust home depot. Visit your local garden center and ask around. Let them know what kind of company you are looking to work with design build and your budget. Contractors buy from them, so they usually have a good handle on the market.

Step 1: Landscape Architect. Will make your life SO much simpler. Garden Centers have "designers" and sometimes landscape architects (not the same thing). The investment is the same - if you use "in house/captive" designers, you pay retail. If you use a Landscape Architect, the options increase and they help you get bids - savings usually covers the professional fee or close + or -. Common advice for anyone seeking help - seek first an appropriate professional.

I appreciate all the advice! I would absolutely hire a landscape architect, but my budget is very limited. I'm basically looking for options that are DIY projects over a few weekends. I feel like an architect or designer would come with a hefty fee. Maybe I'm wrong?

Check it out... you might be pleasantly surprised.

When we did our landscaping, we worked with a garden center and they had a landscape designer. He drew up a plan in 2 phases to work with our budget. We also got a 15% discount when we purchased our plants from them. I am not saying they all work that way, but we got lucky and managed to get a lot done with our budget.

because there are palms and bamboo, i'm assuming you are in a 'tropical' locale, which means you are able to grow a wide variety. if it were my yard, i would figure out the seating area and put down a quality tarp and pea gravel. live with it for a bit to be sure before you start installing pavers, etc. i would also decide what i want to see in the garden and plant that in raised containers, which are also moveable. i would stick with multiples of one or two plants, meaning many asparagus fern or boxwood or ....... just as your chair cushions match, continue this with your planting. if you decide to grow something in the ground, check to see if it is bamboo-friendly. if your trees did not make it, there IS a reason. check your soil through your county extension service. one never knows what is in the soil, especially in a newer development. if you start planting different plants because you love it so, you will end up with a patchwork hodgepodge. while you want to get your future plantings in the ground, they will be fine for a while in pots. invest in a dolly to move them around, and the advice on the fence and leafblower (above) are great ideas. as well, you need to pay attention to where sun actually hits the ground and for how long and choose accordingly. another great idea was using artificial turf or limiting areas of grass. hope you will have some fun!

Don't let Hrivnak's obvious disdain for landscape designers sway you, for a residential project like yours it comes down to a) how much you "click" with the design professional and b) how much you like their aesthetic, as evidenced by their portfolio. This should give you a little more info to consider: http://www.revolutionarygardens.com/do-i-need-a-landscape-designer-or-a-landscape-architect/

The great thing about bringing in a design professional is that even if the project grand total is more than you can swing in one go, you'll have a master plan. If your designer is good, he or she can advise you on how to break the project up into phases in a way that gives you a useable space right away and doesn't look piecemealed together.

Bamboo is a really bad choice especially with children. Not only does it drop leaves, it will take over your yard quickly and send shoots onto neighbors property making you "that neighbor" no one wants. Additionally it can become a breeding place for mosquitos, ticks and other pests that can carry diseases. Broken off stalks have hollows that will hold water long enough for mosquitos to breed. It is considered an invasive plant in many places. Plus broken pieces of bamboo can be extremely sharp and can cut children or pets. Some bamboos are hazardous to pets and children because they are poisonous. You need to get rid of that ASAP before it takes hold and replace it with something else. If you don't have a budget, often your local county extension office can put you in touch with a local Master Gardner who can help you design something either as part of their community service hours or for a reasonable fee. They can also tell you how to test your soil to find out what plants will grow best there.

I appreciate the advice everyone! As for the bamboo, I think it may look worse than it is. I've had it for about 2 years and it provided great privacy until this winter, but it'll fill in again once the hot weather is more consistent. This particular species is non-invasive clumping bamboo that doesn't "run" all over the place. While it does have some fine hairlike spikes, they barely irritate the skin. I've cleaned it out and brushed up against it, which is annoying, but it just washes off. The worst part thus far has been the leaf dropping b/c there are so many. Other than that it did it's job and makes my yard look tropical and jungle-like. It's pretty and my neighbors, thankfully, like it!

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