I just realized this forum is for professionals only. My apologies! I'll post the thread elsewhere. :)

No, it's not for professionals only, or else most of us wouldn't be here. It's also not a free landscape design service, mind you, but queries like yours are posted here often, and many of us enjoy discussing the principles involved in solving people's problems. That said, I'm not sure which problems exactly you are seeking help with.

In the back, sounds like you are being driven to alternate landscaping ideas in the back yard by the pests and weeds, but that's not a good reason for landscaping differently. Organic methods can work, but you have to be determined and consistent. Identify your pests and take those questions to a book on pest control or a forum on that topic. You'll have to control them no matter what you have planted.

To eradicate weeds from lawn, you need to overseed with grass seed wherever you pull a weed, otherwise you have just given new weed seeds light and air and room to grow. Good lawn care may go a long way to solving both your weed and pest problems - try reading about it, or visiting the appropriate forum on that subject too.

On the one side, you've got some established plantings, some good, some not so good. A lot of hostas are sun-tolerant, but summer stretches the tolerance of all plants to some extent. But you can obviously change the plant selection, spending some time learning about more sun tolerant plants by reading or visiting nurseries and perusing their selection. Planting done this late in the year will require babying (ie water) through its first summer though.

On the other side and the front, you've got an excellent base of hardscape to work with and, while I don't like the meatball look, some evergreen anchor points. Much can be improved, but I don't see the urgency that is reflected in your post.

Your post is about the back, yet your pictures take us around the whole property. I think you need to focus your energies on a single area at a time, decide what you want from it, and then learn what needs to be learned, and do what needs to be done to achieve that goal.

Landscaping is often a good solution, but only to certain problems. And I don't think it is landscaping that your problems are pointing to.

KarinL

Thanks for the response, Karin. I don't expect free landscape design services from professionals, which is why I posted my apologies when I thought this was a forum for professionals only. At the same time, any advice from amateurs *is* "free" advice, but that's what forums are for, right?

On another note: I posted numerous pics just to give folks a sense of the layout of the (non)landscape as it presently is. We're starting on the front yard and that is the emphasis for now. Not sure we can remove those "meatballs" without further damaging the stone walls, so we have to work around them for the moment.

As the "urgency" in my post, there is no urgency--I mean, the trees are not falling on the house--just my feeling of hopelessness and lack of knowledge.

Regarding my "problems": I can't really figure out what you mean when you say that my problems are other than landscaping, but whatever.

In any case, thanks, anyway. Have a good day.

I like your little house very much and I think it has real potential.

I garden completely organically and have battled similar pests since I live in suburban CT.

Grubs: I swear by beneficial nematodes. Available from Gardens Alive (elsewhere I suppose, but this is what I use). IT DOES A GREAT JOB.

Various other problems: Fermented Salmon from the Coast of Maine. Applied heavily 3 times a year it feeds the soil, the plants and because it's a foliar spray gets rid of a variety of pests. It's wonderful. I love love love it for my gardens although be forewarned: IT SMELLS TERRIBLE.

For groundcover you can encourage some ajuga in the sunnier spots. Vinca also. And try some pachysandra in the shady alleys on the side of the house.

ALSO, I think your house is calling out for an ornamental tree in the front yard. With a south facing yard, the sky is the limit. Google "ornamental trees" and dream away.

Patty

barefootinct: Thanks very much for the kind comments and the advice. :)

grubs: we had been using milky spores that we purchased from Gardens Alive and the grubs never went away. I'll speak with dh to see if he's tried the nematodes.

groundcover: thank you!!!!

on your advice, I just did a little research into ornamental trees. We had been talking about putting a tree in the front (to the left, facing the house). I'm thinking a Japanese Maple might be best. What do you think? I'd really like something evergreen, though, and native to the eastern U.S. Any suggestions?

Thanks very much again.

Cute house. Not to put words into anyone's mouth, but I think what Karin might be saying is that your immediate problem seems to be finding a way to maintain what you already have properly using only organic methods. The Lawn forum has had tons of discussions about environmentally friendly lawn care. I don't like using chemicals on the lawn either, and I eventually overseeded all of it with a mix from Agway called Conservation Green. It has a fair amount of white clover seed mixed in. The clover makes it's own nitrogen, and keeps my lawn looking more or less green when the lawn grasses are brown from summer heat and too little water. Not a perfect lawn, but I like it better this way. I find perfect turf lawns with no blade out of place kind of creepy, and like a more relaxed look, mostly because I can't keep up with my gardens, LOL. I call it a "romantic" garden. A little flustered, and a couple of buttons undone, in a landscape sense.

Do a search for articles or forum discussions about no-mow grasses. There are some that only grow to a certain height, and are presentable, if a little shaggy. I think they're lovely in the right setting.

The first thing I notice from you photos is the lack of privacy on the deck. I would put either a fence or trellis screen with vines, or shrubs to block the neighbor's direct view of your outdoor living area. But you're asking about the front.

Some small trees/ large tree-ish shrubs that you should look up:
Amelanchier species, spring flowers, summer berries, fall color.
Witchhazel, either fall or late winter flowers, depending on the type.
Cercis canadensis, Eastern Redbud. Spring flowers, some cultivars have reddish foliage like 'Forest Pansy'.

There are lots more, but my brain is tired today. Check out UConn's online plant database. You can enter your requirements and get a list of trees, shrubs, and vines that will do well in your stated conditions. The less specific you are, the more hits you'll get, and there are photos of many of the plants in various seasons and settings, along with cultural information and potential problems.

Also go to the Missouri Botanical Garden's website and check out their database. All kinds of plants are included, and you can learn enough about a plant to know if you want to do more in-depth research.

Michael Dirr has authored a fairly comprehensive guide to woody plants, see if your library has it.

The Conifer, Tree, and Shrub forums are good places to get specific plant suggestions for your needs. There are a lot of knowledgeable people there who like to talk about stuff they're passionate about.

This forum tends to be more for overall design discussion, not so much for plant selection.

Here is a link that might be useful: UConn