Definitely fix up the space so that you and your children can use it and enjoy it. Do what is necessary, but any big purchases, i.e. pottery and potted plants, a bench, etc., should be removable so that you can take it with you. Therefore, I recommend potted plants in nice planters, a small, moveable water feature, a comfy bench, a small table and chairs, and rubber mulch.

I would put down mulch so you have a useable surface. Many times you can get it for free from your city at certain times of the year. Nothing will grow under an oak. If your boys are young, you could add a covered sandbox for them to play in. If they are older, the front yard or a park may be your best option for play.

My first thought would be to buy a couple of yards of mulch as a substitute for grass. Then you may want to purchase some sort of ground cover plant like ivy, pachysandra, or Irish moss (see pic). All work well in the shade. The only issue is that it will take time for them to spread out. Check out a plant called Hosta. These are awesome in the shade and come in different colors. Over time you can cut the in half and get more plants for free. If you can post a picture(s), we may be able to offer more advice. Some counties allow you to get free mulch, you just have to get it yourself. No bags. You would have to shovel it into a pickup.

Love hostas! Good idea! I wanted to post a pic but it is pitch black out there right now. But I will in the morning. We have an old shed and a swing but it is so overgrown that the mosquitoes get pretty nasty when the weather warms up. The ground is completely covered with fallen leaves right now so I know the upkeep back there with raking will be a big job no matter what I do. I'm just hoping to find an inexpensive option that makes the space usable. If I do mulch will I need to use something for the weeds that will grow through and should I edge the areas that are mulched/graveled with edging or stones to keep them in place?

I would check with the owner first....

check w/the owner and see if he will contribute to some artificial turf. It's a write-off for him.

Get a few bids and approach your landlord with the proposals. A landlord can deduct those expenses off their rental income! He/she may be fine with footing the bill, especially since you take good care of their rental and want an enjoyable yard for the children. If/when you show us a photo of the back yard we can give you ideas of budget friendly ideas to entice your landlord. If the improvements are staying, and improve the property, you shouldn't pay for it. Perhaps you can total up your costs and tell the landlord you will do the labor yourself but deduct the expenses from the rent. This happens all the time.

Don't put mulch under a tree and expect to get any use out of it after the leaves have fallen on it the first time. How would you rake the leaves off of mulch??? Mulch makes no sense.

Pavers are cheap and easy, and since you probably live down south (I'm guessing, because of the live oak), freezing and thawing and ground heaving aren't a real problem, so preparation of the bed is easier than in the north.

So here my experience with doing mulch under the tree. Weed barrier will keep any weeds out. Don't lay it on a windy day. Helps to have two people. Kinda a pain to stake with exposed tree roots. And I would make the same comment if you do the proverbial black plastic edging. Now all of this is going to add up cost wise but it is a good solution. Someone mentioned leaves in the fall. We got the largest mulch nuggets we could find. Then we used a blower when the leaves are dry and the mulch stayed in place.

Okay.. so here are a few photos of the yard and as you can see it is a mess. The first photo is the view from the gate and where the side door leads out to the yard.. So I would need a path.

I want to plant hostas along the back edge of the house and maybe even repaint the shed... and maybe my kids will eventually put the stuff back into the shed that they took out..

So tell me what you think.. I like the idea of graveling so I can just use a blower to clean up the CONSTANT falling leaves. I will definitely ask my landlord about the cost.

Also.. the fence is chain link :(

Talk to your landlord about what you'd like to do. Tell him you're willing to do the labor if he pays for the materials. Darzy's right-you're improving his property and if you're willing to do the upkeep, hopefully he'll be reasonable and be willing to pay for materials. Tell him you want to stay for several years-that's a bonus for him, especially if you're a good tenant. The shed's an eyesore so painting it makes sense. Gravel is a lot more expensive than mulch-I work at a horticulture recycling facility and a truckload of mulch delivered is $300. Gravel is probably twice that. Maybe you could use a combination of the two, making separate play and lounging areas. Another option is to plant ground cover in some areas instead of grass. Here's a link to an article about which ones work best in shade. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/shade/ground-covers-for-shade.htm. I used ajuga and it spread like crazy and cost very little to start. Hostas are cheap and grow without much care at all except for slugs. There are lots of natural remedies to take care of those. Ferns are also pretty for shaded areas. I hope you'll let us know what your landlord says!

After seeing the photos, I would stick with the tree swing and a sandbox. Then ask the landlord to put in some sort of patio made of paver stones so you have a useable flat surface. Putting money into planting anything won't give you more use of the space. I would also trim back the shrubs around the edges of the property.

There's room for a good sized portable screen room which your kids could use even with mosquitos in the yard. Put down a cheap indoor/outdoor carpet, then put up the screen room. Check big box stores for prices.

I think you've summed up the way to neaten up the yard. Blow the leaves away, rake what's left. Hiring a couple high school students for a couple hours would make quick work of it.

Trim the shrubs, weedwhack along the chain link and get rid of any standing water that would attract mosquitos. Trimming the tree up would let some more light in. You could wrap the tree in $10 fairy lights or add some solar lights to the tree if it is sunny enough. Add a couple bright wind socks for color.

The existing shed could be made a lot less scary if it were emptied, the interior painted white, and some $20 battery LED lights were added.