That is a crappy backyard. I would go with a Zen monotony.

Cover the chain link fence with clitoria (blue pea) vine. Plant clumping bamboo in front of the chain link and along the wooden privacy fence.

Plant the middle-ground as a butterfly garden, with blue porterweed, milkweed, and a sweet bay. Plant parsley in cool weather for swallowtails.

Use the pavers to create curved paths, and mulch everything 3" thick on top of weed barriers (newspapers if you are on a budget, landscape cloth if not.) Put in a birdbath and feeder.

Shake martini and enjoy.

Yup, that's a crappy backyard alright! LOL.

One suggestion straight away: Do it in stages so you don't get overwhelmed. That you can more easily budget. It doesn't look like there's much room there, so plant things in layers along with some colorful accents.

I would erect a lattice panel in front of the shed (if it stays) and plant a climbing plant on it.

What you put in depends on your budget, and the sun or shade factor. Observe the area closely to see how much sun you get, then go to a garden center and read the plant tags and ask questions of the garden personnel.

Some larger plants for sun:
Firebush
Hibiscus
Eugenia
Crepe Myrtle
Golden Dewdrop
Lorapetalum
Holly
King's Mantle
Areca Palm
Plumbago

Smaller:
Lantana
Blue Daze
Shrub Roses
Mini Roses
Crotons

The Florda IFAS site has a good list of native plants you can use. Good luck and show us transition pics from crappy to beautiful!

Here is a link that might be useful: Florida Plants

Wow, you have a LOT of potential there.

As a ground cover (to cut down on future weeding) I suggest mimosa and dune sunflower (helianthis debilis). Both are relatively cheap but you have to find them at a native plant nursery. They survive well with no irrigation.

I like the idea of planting vines but also consider planting native trees along the fence too so you can get some height and block out the neighbors to create more privacy and enclose your view. Call your county cooperative extension, they have native trees available cheap. Eventually these trees will give you a place to sit in the shade and look at your beautiful garden.

I agree with "clumping" bamboo (although it is expensive), just make sure you don't get the "running" kind or you will have a real invasive plant problem.

Last: paint your shed a color you LOVE so it made you
happy just looking at it.
Maybe your kids/grandkids could paint lifesize portraits of themselves, or flowers and butterflies.

Here is a link that might be useful: mimosa

Hey, Kim,

I see lots of potential here! Every week get rid of as much junk as possible. Little by little you will start seeing space and potential also.

If it were me, I would invest in pavers or flagstone where the pool is and make a nice, roomy, circular patio with a nice table and chairs. Try to position it where it would get some shade at the time you'd be using it, or get a nice, large umbrella or canopy of sorts. Another possibility is placing a fast-growing tree where it would give you shade in a year or two. This would be your outdoor living space and a nice area to grill, sit and talk, play, etc., would be the focal point of the yard, and make it fun for the family, so place your investment here.

The next thing I would do is get at least one clumping bamboo and place it by the chain link fence to give you privacy while you are sitting on the patio.

Your soil looks like typical dry, sandy FL soil. Try to scavenge organic materials (leaves, mulch, grass clippings, etc., to amend your beds. You can get these things for free if you work at it. Search lasagna beds or sheet mulching on the soil forum. I would start collecting cardboard to make your beds. Don't pull the weeds, just place the cardboard on top and pile the organic materials on top. Make one bed at a time so you are not overwhelmed. You can figure out the shape of your beds by using a hose, or landscape paint. Add soft curves and make them as big and wide as you can.

I would collect large pots and plant maybe dwarf citrus, or other somewhat tall, durable plants. Maybe some annuals too. Put these by your ac unit and shed to detract attention and add greenery. Also try to have a hose nearby so they will survive as they will need water almost daily.

Looks like you don't have irrigation. You might consider soaker hoses for a bed that is close to a hose bib. You can have more tropicals in this bed. The other beds plant with drought tolerant native, or butterfly plants that don't need much additional water. Collect rain in containers or a barrel (make them look pretty-see Laura's beautiful rain barrels).

The side yard is begging for a flagstone or paver path down the middle (or see Nova's and Felix's great bottle paths). Put beds on either side, taller stuff by the chain link fence for privacy.

Kim, I think you can have a lot of fun with this. Do it little by little and post photos of your progress so we can have fun with you!

Anna

You have gotten some great advice and you have a blank canvas to work with. Do what you can, when you can and don't get discouraged or stressed. Have fun. Gardens take some time and once you begin, you won't ge able to quit and pretty soon you will have lovely tropical gardens surrounding your home. Having the before pictures are great, so that you can see the transformation as you go along. Keep taking pictures.

FlowerLady

Kim, my first thought was "Yikes! That is a crappy backyard. Run!" But, hey, I understand how it happens.

First thing that came to mind were a couple questions. Do you use the skinny sideyard (where the bike is parked) to access the backyard? Does the picket fence by the shed serve a purpose in its current location?

In order to keep yourself from getting overwhelmed and from wasting money, I would skip buying any plants right now and work on the site preparation first. This isn't going to be a one day project unless you've got a lot of helpers.

First things first...get rid of the pool and the extra junk lying around the yard. Stack the extra concrete pieces and rocks neatly out of the way for now.

Next, pull the golden rain trees that are trying to grow all over your yard. Give everything else a generous dose of Round-Up, including along the fence line, to discourage the neighbors weeds from coming to visit.

Next, spray Kilz or Rustoleum on that shed. You don't want it to rust away completely and sometimes you just can't hide an eyesore with plants fast enough.

Then, I would remove two rows of the concrete pavers that are under the green hose and mop/broom next to the a/c unit in the picture. I would move the piece of picket fence there to block the view of the a/c, but don't put it too close to the a/c because maintenance people need room to work. I would also pull by hand any plants that have decided to use your a/c unit as their home.

At this point, I would paint the picket fence, wash the green mold off the side of the house, and reattach any lattice that has bowed out from it's proper location.

By the time you get all that work done, it will be time to mulch. I would mulch the whole yard, at least 3 inches deep, and forget about trying to have a patch of lawn. Unless you have a strong desire to waste your time and water resources taking care of it.

If you don't need to use the sideyard (where the bike is parked) to access the backyard, then I would fill that side up with clumping bamboo, white bird of paradise, bananas, or anything else that will be full and tall. You should benefit from the shade those plants will provide when they mature.

If you have a little money, you could get that rolled bamboo fencing they have at HD or Lws, and attach it to the chain link between you and the neighbor. It's about six feet tall and will provide more privacy than growing a vine on that four foot tall chain link. I would, however, plant a vine on the chain link fence in the back where the wooden privacy fence is located.

I would plant a climbing rose along the relocated picket fence. You will need to do a little soil amendment in that one spot.

At that point, I would move your outdoor table and umbrella to the spot where the pool is/was, sit back and look at the lovely results of such tremendous effort, and start deciding what plants I wanted and where. A clean slate often gives you a better idea of what plants you want to see surrounding you.

Good luck and please post pictures of your work in process!

Oooo don't mean to be rude but that is a Crappy Challenge! Still you have a lot of potential. if the idea of blue pea vine appeals to you cover some of your fences, Kim, my bushes are loaded with seeds and I would be glad to send them to you once they ripen!

Well, M'Lady...many of us have had to go from 'Crappy' to "Early semi-ok" and then on to Half-past-Crappy' to "Not bad" to "Hey, This is just awesome!" So....you're already well on your way because you have vision! And the folks here on this forum offer the BEST advice that you could find...worth much more than if you paid thousands of dollars to have someone come in a do the work for you.... In the end, you'll have the ultimate satisfaction of knowing you DID it and...in addition, a wealth of knowledge thrown in. The key is...One Step At a Time. Not all of us have many extra dollars to put into yards and landscaping, but if you make a plan and take baby steps, you'll be totally amazed at the difference from this spring to next spring...only 12 short months! I totally agree with getting ANYTHING out of the yard that 1. you don't use and 2. that you don't like ....rake it all nice n clean... Subscribe to free cycle...I've gotten some great landscape bricks FREE...just for the picking up...(Caution, tho...do NOT take anything that you don't LOVE and know that you can use.....) Many of us would be happy to mail seeds and cuttings to you...collect some pots (free cycle again, or sometimes the landscapers that you see out in front of businesses just throw them away....if you ask nicely, you might get some!) The pots are great for getting cuttings to a size that you can put easily into the ground. Take plenty of time with your plan...study, study, study. Your public library will have lots of books to check out to help, as well as the local agricultural department. Do NOT get discouraged! It takes time and patience, even more than money! Let us know how you're doing! :) It's exciting! ....from one who planted sand spurs for lack of knowledge! LOL

Oh Beth, sand spurs???? That's worse than me planting Hostas!!!

I'm two years into a similar, though not quite so dire, situation. I've been working slowly and one thing I can advise, to save money, is only buy one of anything. I know the pros would just blanch at that suggestion, but for amateurs, it makes sense. First, you can tell if the plant you bought works the way you thought it would, and if it doesn't, you've lost a much smaller investment. If it does, you can try to propogate it later to have more.

Some things are really easy to root. Crotons and Persian Shield root in plain old water on the kitchen counter. Several other plants are easy to air layer, like chenile, the golden dewdrop someone else mentioned, and jasmine. I've currently got a pot ghetto of rooted stuff I'm caring for until the rainy season starts when I plan to pull out a boring hedge and replace it with a mixture of native and drought-tolerant stuff.

Also, get to know the neighbors who garden. Lots of gardeners will be happy to give you cuttings of their favorite plants. A friend and I are working towards biologically identical yards, sharing everything we get.

A couple other money savers: a compost pile and newspapers. You're going to want to improve that dirt as much as you can, so start saving your egg shells and coffee grinds and veggie trimmings. And the newspapers are cheaper and I find work much better under mulch.

Little by little, I'm getting there, and the yard already looks much better than it did before we bought the house. Have faith. And patience.

OMGosh!! I was so pleasantly surprised to see such great responses to my challenge! And I'm seriously not offended by any comments...it is a crappy backyard that has been NEGlected!!! for many years. Only our wolf shep goes back there and that's when it doesn't rain (she's a prissy dog). I love all the suggestions and I will be putting them all into the design of this backyard. DH and I are moving back to his hometown of Peebles, OH in about two years, so I have time. I have already started cleaning out the garbage (no brainer there), and today I started my summer spraying for pests and weeds. I love the cardboard idea...hubby does A/C and has loads of this available! We can get free mulch up the road...just gotta rest my muscles for that...worked in front and side yard all day today. See pics in the link below. (And I'm burnt-damn irish skin). I am open to any suggestions of types of plants or designs. I'm also open to any seeds or cuttings...I'll pay postage!!I will be making soft line (squiggly) beds...like I see them do on tv. I think it will be very asthetic and pleasing since it is a very boxed in area. There will be a privacy fence up along the back of the yard, the side where the shed is (will be painted and trellis for vine put up on patio side)...I like the idea for the lattice and then maybe some vine there as well. The privacy fencing on that side is neighbors and they are really nice young family...no worries there. The other side (where bike is) connects to our other property. My son and nephew live there. That is a whole other yard to clean up! We are going to pave in the largest part of the drive on that property with recycled asphalt. Then I'll line with tropicals along the fence. I am putting in my sunflowers where the side beds are now along the fence like in 04. Along with the trops that are there. The crotons are doing wonderful there as well as the arbicolas and broms. We are putting another chain link gate just to the front of the side steps to the back door (really the side but who cares LOL). Then I can hide slightly in the corners of gate with trops. DH won't let me put privacy fence there. I am very excited about this project and I THANK YOU ALL for your generous comments and offers!!! I could go on, but I'll let the pictures do the talking! Thanks again!! Check out new pictures from work we did today!

Have a wonderful gardening week!!

Kim

P.S. I finally broke a nail (I have dragon lady nails) after two years!

Here is a link that might be useful: April 2008 Garden

I wanted to say Kim, that I've seen pictures of your veggie gardens before and they are GREAT. I think you will create something equally GREAT in your side and back yards. You did a lot of work yesterday and I'm sure you are enjoying the visual results.

Happy Gardening ~ FlowerLady

Kim,
Just want to say good luck with your project and that the work you've done in your other gardens is very nice. I'm not in your area, but I'd like to share some seeds if you're interested in them. Not sure what you want to plant there or what would grow there so just let me know if you'd like any of my extras and e-mail me your address:
Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa?)
Four O'Clocks
Purple Allamanda/Rubber Vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora)
Black-Eyed Susan Vine -Thunbergia Alata
Scarlet Runner Bean
Genovese Basil

Thanks for all your great advice. I have started researching plants to make up the design. I have a pretty good idea how we want to create this lil haven, so I am excited and very grateful to all of you for your words of wisdom and advice!!

Kim

jodoyam: I sent you an email as well....

Kim,
That was actually me not my husband(jodoyam - who loves the flooring forum!)that posted about the extra seeds. I'll check my e-mail and get those seeds out to you in the next day or two. I hope they work for you.
Jeannie

Okay, no pictures yet, but the nephew (9 yrs old) and I spent two hrs tonight after work and school raking, pulling weeds and cutting all the nasty overgrown weed bushes along the fence. Now we have four piles (five including the pool and garbage) to clean up tomorrow afternoon. Already great improvement! I'll take pics tomorrow before and after we work on it. I have decided on dogwoods along the back fence (just three-in each corner and in the middle). According to the Florida natives site it says they will grow in my type soil (although I am going to mix in mulch and good soil before I plant anything back there). Any other ideas for planting design I am grateful!!

BTW, the house will be painted when summer is over. I don't paint in the heat, even tho we have been fortunate to have beautiful weather thus far!! The shed is getting a quick coat before the next week is out!

Kim

You just made my day. Finally, a yard worse than mine! But I've seen on HGTV where they take those yards and make them beautiful. The first step is to clear everything out of the yard, then lay out your beds with paint lines, so you know where you want things to go. Sorry, but the shed either has to go or be hidden.

If you are a patient gardener, you can use plants and seeds you trade for to fill it in. I have seeds I'll be happy to send you for coral and blue porterweed, and more.

If you go to the link below, you'll get some ideas on how to do it very frugally.

Here is a link that might be useful: Free Frugal Gardening Course

So many times, projects can just seem so overwhelming.
Everyone here has provided invaluable advice and I'm sure your backyard will go from crappy to classy before you know it. One day at a time and then sit back and enjoy. If I were you I'd take advantage of this lovely bearable weather before the summer heat and storms arrive.
Thanks junkyardgirl for mentioning the site above. That was a fun read and tips I'll always remember.
Good luck Kim. We can't wait to see the transformation,
Sue.