I like your patio furniture and bright pots.

I don't think that concrete pad in the back of your yard is adding anything. It might be a hazard to children running in the yard. I would get rid of it. The boarder with stones is another minus. I would just do grass or small bushes there.

If you added a couple of ornamental trees near your patio, you would have privacy.

You could also add patio curtains like these simple striped one hung from a rod.

Trailside: Picturesque Porch · More Info

I hate the concrete pad. We moved in and they were there. The bricks are a pain! Never really thought about it. Lovely photo above.

What specifically is awful about the corner?

what about evergreens for privacy at whichever fence you want.

website excerpt: Gold Cargo Arborvitae's best foliage color will be in full sun, for a wonderful accent plant. Overall mature size is 10-12' tall and about 5-6' across at the base. Can be kept smaller with pruning.

https://www.mckaynursery.com/online-plants/evergreen-conifers/arborvitae-thuja/gold-cargo-arborvitae-agold.html

I feel it is a weird awkward space. We do often sit there for afternoon sun and privacy. I call it the stage and am just not too sure what to do with that space. I’d like for it to look more aesthetically pleasing.

I've read that there can be rooms in the yard, just as there are indoors. With planning -- could be a stone path winding to the corner room -- somewhere else where it fits, a fire pit... etc...

For corner room what about a pergola-type cover, etc... keep looking and thinking... good 'luck' !!

I’d like more privacy on all sides.

Another for concrete corner is purchase metal swing with a sun cover. Or an 'away place' from the patio- a he/she shed. :)

concrete's already there.

I picture between concrete and the other corner, a couple upright/ cone evergreens for eventual privacy....?

also creek bed might not work at all, could be a contrast to lawn.

Gate in middle of back fence.

Explain the why the 'rock garden' flanks the front edge of patio. Is this for a purpose more than just decorative?

We moved into this property with these features... Just decorative, I think! Other ideas? There was mulch rather than rock, but it seemed to be carried onto the deck and into the house by our pups, at times. My in-laws put the river rocks in to prevent this from happening.

Wow! This is so cool! Thank you for the visual! I really like. I love your suggestions. Very cool! Thanks so much.

Nice place. Good start.

Would want all the fence one color whether that is brown or green or gray or even black.

You could add brackets and hanging baskets to the posts of the fence and/or deck rail flower boxes to the tops of the fence where there is a top horizontal board. For strength, you should probably add a horizontal board beside/against the inside of the fencing (at the very top) where the fence has no top board. (on the right).

The "eyesore" -- raised slab w/"fire hydrant" -- appears to have been painted white. You could repaint it, preferably a dark gray or add faux stone atop and on the sides of the slab and steps.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Exterior+faux+brick+panels+for+patio+floor&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjL2KSw5-npAhVTA98KHQxICGcQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=Exterior+faux+brick+panels+for+patio+floor&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoECAAQHjoGCAAQBRAeOgYIABAIEB46BAgAEBhQ8rI1WMvCNWCIxDVoAHAAeACAAXCIAf0KkgEEMTUuMZgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1n&sclient=img&ei=CcbZXouwCdOG_AaMkKG4Bg&bih=654&biw=1366&client=firefox-b-1-d

You'd need to dig beside it to remove as much of the dirt away from it so you can access and clean as much of it as possible.

Use a stiff broom and to both scrub and bleach and then rinse the concrete slab and steps then let it dry thoroughly, even overnight. Do make sure you wear shoes/clothes that it will not matter if they get bleach spots on them.

Once dry, you can either repaint the concrete slab and steps ( perhaps in a dark gray paint specifically intended for concrete) and then decide if you need to do more and/or you can add faux brick or faux stone panels first to the sides of the slab and steps and then to the tops, including covering the top edge of the vertical side panels of faux stone or brick.

Where you have a few light colored bare spaces in your lawn might be an indication that there is rock, etc., just below the dirt preventing the grass from rooting. You might try digging those up. Alternately, you could embrace them and add to those spots and create a walkway from the back porch to the raised concrete slab, putting first small gravel and then sand in a shallow hole and adding pavers with their tops ground level placed in a row (with or without curve) to create a walk path you can mow over. You could leave grass grow between the pavers.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&ei=oM3ZXom2IJmpytMP5qmL2Ak&q=spaced+paver+walk+stepping+stones+as+path&oq=spaced+paver+walk+stepping+stones+as+path&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQAzIFCCEQoAE6BAgAEEc6BQgAEM0COgUIIRCrAjoECCEQCjoICCEQFhAdEB5QoEVY_mlg-WxoAHABeACAAbQBiAH-GJIBBDMuMjSYAQCgAQGqAQdnd3Mtd2l6&sclient=psy-ab&ved=0ahUKEwiJhvvO7unpAhWZlHIEHebUApsQ4dUDCAs&uact=5#kpvalbx=_sM3ZXozoLo6zytMP252C4AE33

If you don't want to add faux b rick or stone to the raised concrete slab, consider planting a low growing plant around it (except at steps, of course).

Liriope (Liriope spp.), sometimes known as lily turf, is a tough, grass-like perennial that thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 10. If you need a tough ground cover, liriope just might be the solution. It grows 12 to 18 inches tall and has a spreading, clumping form.

How to Grow Liriope - Gardening Channel

I would be most bothered by the lack of privacy so I would plant small trees closer to the fence where the "eyes" are all looking at you.

With this picture I'm not addressing planting ... just hardscape.

I find the border of miscellaneous rock to be not only unattractive, but a complete discouragement to thinking of the yard beyond as someplace anyone would want to go. The patio is a smooth floor and the grass is a green wall-to-wall carpet. No one would create an ankle breaking barrier, like the rock is, between their dining and living rooms. The floors would abut. Even if no one actually does have a reason to want to go out into the lawn, it should look inviting as if someone could.

Good call. Thank you. I like this very much too. Now you’ve got me thinking. Thanks so much for your time.

We're also in zone 4 - and live about 15' from neighbors in the city. We planted a bunch of arborvitae between our houses. Once they grow a bit, those will be great for privacy (year round - anything with leaves will obviously be zero privacy in winter). Regarding the rest - we had our yard landscaped and it's beautiful. Landscapers will have tons of ideas. We did a bunch of wildflowers and low-maintenance plants. Rabbits ravaged all of it before we knew to put up chicken wire, though (managed to protect the arborvitae before it got too bad). So, if you have rabbits or deer, know that you will need to contend with that. Tauton yews are good for low evergreen bushes and rabbits don't seem to touch those.

I wouldn't use identical pairs (or sheared formal hedges) of anything with a house design like yours, that doesn't also itself consist of completely uniform repetition of identical shapes. Because not only is a visual dichotomy produced when the building has one type of design style and the landscaping another, but formality in planting is a setup for problems with how outcomes with individual plant specimens can and often do vary in rates of development or levels of success. With - to name two highly prevalent examples - sheared box hedges or rows of 'Smaragd' arborvitae for instance often ending up with diseased, even dead individuals within them that spoil the symmetry. After years of development, when it may not be really be feasible to replace the problematic ones with fresh specimens.

The tension between the two styles creates design interest. The house is modern and sleek and the garden lush and layered. The problem occurs when too many types of plants are introduced. Repetition of plant species simplifies the design and allows you to see all of the elements. You will need to decide what your #1 priority is. Privacy, maintenance free (or minimal) and design. You can have all three but need to follow the rules with a smaller backyard. A professional landscape designer will minimally charge you for the design if you don't want to pay them for the work.

@mmmunroe The house isn’t going anywhere. Lol. What would you recommend?

I like the contrast. If everything "matched" you wouldn't notice each element separately. It was really a response to Embothrium's comments regarding repetition and the design elements of the house versus the landscaping. If privacy and ease of light gardening is your preference then I would plant to obstruct views, choose plants that have year round foliage and use screens and structures for immediate results. Also, repeating the same plant or planting in groupings is preferred to create cohesiveness around the yard. If you like flowers, use potted plants around the yard and structure or find a flower like hydrangeas that give you more "bang for your buck" You can plant them at different points around your garden and they are lovely cutting flowers for fresh arrangement in the home. But for sure, consult a professional for a real landscape design. They work miracles and often come up with ideas you never even thought of. The house is gorgeous, it should go anywhere. :-)