Xeriscape. Plant some Sagos and a couple of large barrel cactus. Put in several large boulders and fill the rest of the area with river rock in several different sizes. In the sunny corner, near the driveway and sidewalk, plant a bunch of Desert Rose.

Don't forget the coontie, lol (but seriously-what a great option for a tough situation).

+oM

I agree with fawn. And you get the added benefits of no watering & no mowing. More time for fun!

The shade is your problem, you can see how leggy your existing plants are as well. That Italian cypress is just getting by. So, where are you at? Don't want to tell you anything that don't fit your microclimate.

I did the same thing at my last house. Mulched the whole area. Filled it with a cluster of three cycads in the middle, ( I used Encephalartos ferox for the display of their 18 inch tall bright red cones), I put in a few clusters of coonties, our native cycad, and filled in the hills with variegated Aztec grass. In one corner I put in some silver Serenoa repens ( palmettos) but they didn't appreciate the shade as much as the others. They still are silver though 15 years later. Didn't need any irrigation at all once they were in for a while. I would fertilize them though, I'm really picky about fertilizing.

If you wanted to throw in some extra organic, you might go the semidwarf azalea, Camelia look, but I am betting that oak tree has some serious roots that suck up all the extra moisture near it. That's why the other way would be better.

If you would prefer having turfgrass, there is, possibly, hope. 8 ft from the southern border of my lot is a middle sized oak tree (as live oaks go). It shades out most of the southern part of my lot for most of the day. And the times it isn't shading the lot, there is a Chinaberry shading it. No section of my 'lawn' between the oak and chinaberry gets more than 2 hours of sun a day, yet the turfgrass there is full, green and lush, even the turfgrass directly under the oak which I have started smothering with mulch and newspaper to bed out. I have no clue on exactly what cultivar it is, but it is a type of St. Augustine, so you will have to lay it out rather than seeding. If you wish to try this option, I would suggest laying some St. Augustine in the sunnier areas and letting it creep into the shaded area, granted it will take time for it to fill in this way, but it will do so in a manner that it will sustain itself. Where it stops you can move to the other heavy shade plantings offered above (which I personally would go for over turf, but wanted to present this option).

You are allowed to trim any branches hanging over your property line. If you can't do it yourself, hire someone. I would cut those branches back to give more light.

I have the opposite situation. Too much lawn and I have been trying to plant beds to cut back on the amount of lawn. I would have a ball with our space.

Add wood chips and start planting flowers and shrubs. Let them grow and fill in. Put some patio stones for a walkway from your driveway to the side of your house. Fill the areas up with flowering shrubs and flowers. It will look beautiful and you don't have to worry about lawn.

I don't know what your zone is, but I had two oak trees in my back yard in 9b, and I used it to my advantage. I planted bromeliads, gingers and lots of mondo grass. It's not the shade that is your main problem, it's the roots that sap all the nutrients away from the plants. Bromeliads get most of their nutrition from the air, and they love it when oak leaves fall on them. Gingers don't need much soil space, as they are planted shallowly about an inch below the ground. So many gorgeous blooming members of the ginger family would do well there. Shrimp plants love the shade, as do Bleeding heart clerodendrum vines. Neither of these take a lot of water. If you want something spectacular, plant a Brugmansia (angel trumpet) in a large pot with moss roses trailing out of it. They do take a lot of water, which is why you put it into a pot.

If you're in a warmer zone, crown of thorns does nicely. The Thai crown of thorns get very large and bloom almost continuously. I have the red and the yellow, and I have to protect them from cold snaps up here in 9a, but they made it through this winter nicely despite a few freezes.

Hi Tony,

I would increase the hardscape...maybe make a curving "S" mulch bed with large (or 2 smaller side by side ) stepping stones from the area where you have the curved front bed now right the the side of your porch to bring out the entrance more. Then add some variegated asiastic jasmine or another ground cover to replace the grass under the tree. Maybe you neighbor will agree to letting you "open" up his tree's canopy so you can let in more light. If you get a groundcover that you can "mow" on a higher mower setting every few years to help clean it up and keep it under control. Add some large pots filled with large leaved or cane begonias. I also agree with the mondo grass or bromeliads. From my point of view, your biggest problems are shade and messy leaves so unless you want to be out there grooming it all day, I would definitely go with mulch and more hardscape and a more limited planting area.

Helen :}

I'm among those who feel your shade is an asset to embrace and make the most of, Tony. Both increased heat and drought and also decreased fresh water supply will be increasingly serious problems for people who care about living in nice surroundings. Let's face it, stressed and uhealthy yards are ugly.

I'd like to suggest getting some old Sunset Magazine garden books from Amazon, or wherever, to gather some great ideas. They've been designing beautiful, sustainable gardens without lawns out west for decades. California oaks are considered treasures and are major features in many fine gardens.

And how nice that acquiring a handsome oak leaf floor in a garden featuring healthy, climate-happy plants would require no more than occasional tidying up. You might even look forward to spring leaf drop. :) For easy care, you might design your plantings around a "glade" and paths of forest duff to minimize tracking and blowing onto the drive, etc.