That's a pretty tight budget.

But maybe plant into the containers a series of bulbs that will give you some blooms year round? Or maybe herb plants that provide flowers and nice smelling and tasting foliage?

It's kind of hard to tell from the pics, but is that a lot of moss growing up between brick pavers? If so, just a lot of cleaning up will go a long way to getting that side yard looking better. Maybe painting that one wall that isn't painted yet to match the rest of the exterior color.

There are a lot of perennials that can be grown from seed too that once you get them started in they are pretty low maintenance.

I'm not sure what in the main yard is weeds, or ground cover gone wild, or what. That too would need a lot of cleanup. Probably do that before trying to decide anything else to do with the area.

You need organization, not money.

a. I expect this corridor floods with each rain. You may even get a flow from your neighbor. I also expect this path is no longer used, and that you travel to the back yard through the house.

b. Get you grandchildren or some teenage neighbors to remove the concrete slabs, dig a drywell over by the fence and run the water in underground PVC pipes from the downspouts to the drywell, and rake the area smooth. Ask their parents how best to compensate the kids. (They may just want to use your backyard as a hangout from time to time, out of view of their folks, but close to home where they can be beckoned by iphone.) (and the parents will know they are close by, in case of an emergency)

c. This fore-mentioned corridor has now become an outdoor room, thanks to the youth labor. Furnish it as you have suggested and stop by Goodwill periodically to add more.

d. The main thing you need to do now, to look good, is to get organized. If you can't use something, or are tired of it, put it at the curb on trash day. If you have a planter, grow plants in it. If you have a bird bath, put water in it. If you have a clay pot, put an herb in it. You are leaning too much on the crutch of needing a cane, I expect, to do anything outdoors. If you have a bunch of bricks, make a little paved area under a seat or under the bird bath, or at the bottom of your steps.

Get organized and declutter, it won't cost a penny.

cascio.offsite@gmail.com

You are so right about declutter. I have a few old flower pots to take to the trash. The main yard is ground cover and I now have a service come and cut this every two weeks. It is not pretty grass but as least it is short. A weed wacker would take care of this area but I have a love/hate relationship with weed wackers plus using a cane and a weed wacker is a juggling act. I consider the money spent as a health benefit for me as I will not fall or trip trying to cut weeds/grass. At the bottom of the steps I have planted two blue salvias and a raspberry colored geranium.

The side area doesn't flood but I need to get the moss off the bricks, just for appearance. The grandkids are too young to be of help, ages 3 through 11, I moved groundcover to under the fence line, added a small garden of herbs on the sunny house side. I bought the herbs from a local hospital that has a greenhouse. Better grown, better care of the herbs and not expensive. I received birthday gifts of two very nice solar lanterns and a gazing ball and stand. The grandkids painted on 9 x 12 canvas and this artwork will hang from the fence as soon as I get it hung. The varnish is still drying to a good hardness. It is and will remain a work in progress as I refine and change out items. Each day I take a book outside to sit and read and to try to figure out what to do to improve this area. The plan is for cosy, comfortable and a bit bohemian but uncluttered.

Yes, the clutter needs to go. And you should consider combining households with other family members, or moving closer to them. What's the point in living alone? If you're physically unable to do much, your landscaping efforts should be part of a family effort, not an individual effort. And I love your word "bohemian". That back yard full of weeds is arrestingly beautiful to my eyes. That's no joke. I stared at that picture for 5 minutes. Thank you for providing it. People don't intentionally let yards get that beautiful in most parts of the country. You can see that kind of thing in college towns and on the West Coast, but that's about it. What would I do? I'd keep going. I'd let those weeds continue to become the wildflower meadow that butterflies love. I'd scatter wildflower seeds. I'd trim the woody saplings that broke the pasture. I'd learn to identify each and every "weed" (there's no such thing) and encourage the ones you like and discourage the ones you don't. I'd watch with fascination and delight as nature took shape and changed over time. I'd watch every litter critter, from Potato Bug to Dragonfly, on that little paradise. Some people like aquariums and terrariums? This is even better. Live long and keep enjoying every wonderful day alive outdoors on this Earth that God gives you.

wish you lived near me. You are the first to encourage me to keep the wild flowers, violets, blue, white/blue,/purple, aenomones (sp?)in yellow, elfin thymus look like tiny fairy orchids, My family does not like to garden and for that reason they live in townhouses. Right now I have a service cut it every two weeks but I did wait until the middle of May to start the cutting. I am adding some photos from what I have done to the side yard, I went from champange ideas to what I call suds of the beer. The least expensive that I could do. The gazing ball and solar lanterns were birthday gifts.The "C" banner is for my first name. The white lattice on the fence is just waiting to be moved to the box of cucumbers on the other side of the wall. My grandchildren ages 3, 5, 10, 11 painted the art work. The 3 and the 10 year old had lots of help from their mothes. I attached them with perle cotton embroidery thread and thumb tacks.

there must be a way to resize photos. I apolgize for the photos being so large. Caroline

Looks great, quite a contrast from the original!