I love mediterranean plants and have quite a few but they look odd right next to lawns IMHO. They come from dry areas so they look most fitting in rock landscapes to me. Here’s Olive and Rosemary in their natural environment.

Thank you, I guess I never thought about them being next to sod vs their natural rock/dry terrain. We have some Rosemary around the pool cage that is thriving, so we will definitely use that again in our design. I like the thought of an olive tree in the corner as a focal point. Thanks for your input

I don't know how well Mediterranean plants would grow in your climate, but I wouldn't be too concerned about growing them next to lawn. If you saw that olive grove photo in winter/spring the ground would be green with grasses and wild flowers.

Tuscan olive grove in spring.

Perfect, thanks for the picture comparison

Tuscans are very fond of roses if you have the patience. Lantana, wild geraniums, lemon and beautiful flowering quince are great. Mimosa is also popular. Climbing passion flower is wonderful. Go for bouganvillea for your fence if you don't have kids or rambunctious pets. (It has very dangerous thorns for climbing.)

One of the most important things to remember about Italian design is that circles and curves are viewed as fundamental, because they occur in nature and are therefore "good", whereas straight lines are a human conceit that should be used only sparingly and deliberately. So adding arches or circles to your fence would get you closer to the charm of an Italian garden.

But around the perimeter of the house double down on the sharp straight lines for your little outdoor brick terrace by using a rectangular table, oversized terracotta urns at each corner, and you know, a checked tablecloth. People think it's only an Italian American stereotype, but Italians really do favor checked tablecloths in a variety of colors.

Having some inside your screened area and outside can be really nice. Italians are never afraid to mix up colors in close proximity.

Thank you for the input. We currently have some variegated Eureka lemons in large pots on our brick patio, with a large 8 person rectangular table.

We’ve thought about some type of pergola or structure and incorporating climbing vines/plants. Confederate Jasmine is popular in our local nursery as an option.

This is the table we have.

It's perfect!

I know you said “Tuscan” but big leaf hydrangea do well in your zone. They’re so gorgeous.

I would create curvy beds for mixed greenery .. flower .. tiny trees…some along the perimeter and some in the center of the yard…looking for more free form .. soft silhouette plantings rather than solid shaped growth.. sort of uncertain about the perfect … white fence.. I might start a free form vine.. on the fence..if needed .. cover fence with a wire mesh for the climbing cover…

I will absolutely look at the big leaf hydrangeas as an option, great pick.

And I do think the curvy beds will contrast well with the straight lines throughout the back yard, soften the look a little bit.

I agree.. and think the beds should be size able .. not plentiful.. the goal being a more casual layout plan.. .. I have been hesitant to suggest .. but it may be worth it to spray paint the fencing with a paint made for plastic coverage…A dark brown color.. to support the …vineyard over city ..ambiance..

If you end up with huge spans of lawn left … you may want to replace some of it with evergreen ground cover that will take a little traffic …and lessen or delete the mowing chore… for the brick patios.. pergolas add more charm.. if you don’t mind a little labor you can grow a flowering vine over the pergola or just add a shade cloth ..

Hello! I recently used such a service, and based on my experience, I can recommend designscapedesigns.com. It looks like a new company, but they did the job perfectly!

We like the option of having some bigger spans of lawn right now as we still have young children who like to play in the yard.

Nauris, The link you provided did not work.

Oh sorry this one will be correct designscapecreations.com