There are grasses that one do not need to mow. If it is small, one could also use a ground cover. Does this area get a lot of foot traffic? A picture would really help us visualize.Are we talking shade, sun . what kind of dirt to you have.

Yes, I'd love to see pictures. It's hard to say without knowing more, but I like Mara's idea of ground cover. And maybe some raised beds with easy care plantings, too. If I had a small yard (I wish!), I'd avoid grass with a passion. I'd do plantings, a path, some other interest (big pots, decorative stone, bench/seating, lighting for evenings, etc).

Where in Texas are you. Think about the water restrictions. and go xeric with your choices. Stepping stones and silver poneysfoot, breaking out with wide spaces and another plant like a prostrate teucrium or crawling wooly stemodia or wooly thyme, wild plants like piralena coming up in cracks is cool. I am talking as if you were in Central Texas because that is what I know.

I'm in San Antonio. I'll try to post pictures tomorrow. I'm a little embarrassed cos I need to clean up and mow lol I'd love to put some homemade stepping stones :) Here's a few pictures just to give y'all an idea until I can put up more. I'm telling you my yard is tiny.

You should consider what type of shade you have in your backyard. Even most shade loving plants need some light. If you have dense or full shade then paving or mulch may be the best answer. So-called garden soil is mostly composted tree remains, but I like it better than the coarser bark mulch. Don't expect mulch to smother all seedlings; many species are resilient. One problem with shaded areas can be mosquitoes that hang out there during the day. A large fan can make it harder for them to bother you.

Dense shade is found beneath wide porches or under dense evergreen trees.It's best to pave or mulch this type of area. Ferns are likely to be the only plant that will grow here.

Full shade is the shade of a forest that catches most of the sun, but along with ferns you can grow Trachelospermum, Pachysandra, Violets and Hellebores.

Medium shade is also forest shade, but with a more open canopy, also called high shade by some. You can turn full shade into medium shade by trimming off lower branches from mature trees. Shade tolerant shrubs are more likely to grow here.

Light shade is dappled shade. This is the preferred shade, and many part sun plants will do well here, especially in hot climates. If you want a shaded lawn you need this type of shade along with a shade tolerant grass. Lawn grass also means you have to rake up those fall leaves. Light shade areas can receive a couple of hours of direct sun, but it's bright shade all day. Partial shade means an area receives between 3 and 6 hours of sun.

I would plant some evergreen thugs to cover the fence (i.e. ligustrum, eleagnus), maybe Confederate jasmine vine, lay some flagstone and use several big pots with impatiens, hostas and big ferns. Place a couple of benches and grab a cup of coffee, a beer or a glass of wine. Your choice.

Omar

I agree with Omar...........................all my gardening would be done in containers in such a small space. Too, they can be moved around for the best effect.

Ok so thank you all so much. I'm actually starting to get some ideas in my head thanks to all of your great suggestions. So here are some of the things I'm thinking about doing.

-Mulch half the yard. I think I will mulch the side of the yard with my raised beds so I can walk around them and to give the area a clean look.

-Plant grass on the other half. I do have a dog and would like him to have some grass to play on :)

-Put some stepping stones through the grass to the mulch for walking on. :)

-Plant plants along the fence on the side of the yard with grass. In containers. :)

-I would like to paint/stain my patio. I'm thinking a bunch of fun colors. :D

I would like to go for an eccentric old lady/hippie chic look. lol Lots of fun colors and look like I hung every yard ornament I have in my yard. Maybe put some posts on my patio to hang lights from.

My yard gets sunlight in different spots throughout the day. It moves every few hours. The edge of my raised bed closest to the fence gets the afternoon sun/heat. That seems to be the most concentrated spot/time in the yard. The rest of the yard seems to get a good amount but not to overpowering.

I do have a few questions.

-What kind of mulch do you all suggest?

-I'm growing cherry tomatoes and strawberries with some flowers and herbs in my raised bed. I do have a bird feeder handing from my tree and would like to use it. I stopped because of the raised bed. I have heard it's good to have bird cos they eat insects but they also eat stuff I'm growing. I have a little bird house hanging on my fence and would like to put a small bird bath but don't know if it's worth attracting the birds if they are going to eat everything I grow. Thoughts?