After obtaining three quotes, we hired Landscape Magic Kurt to swoop in and wave his wand over our sad sad situation. Little did we know his wand would seriously malfunction on the weather control part of the operation and our "late May" start day would become "mid June." But, the hour is upon us.
The plan? On the side, trim the tree that's growing off our house, tear up the lawn and current perennials, install a flagstone path and put in hydrangeas, rhododendrons, spreading yew, viburnum and sweet spire, and spread a heap of mulch.
In the back, around my raised beds - level and tidy the area around the boxes, spread pea gravel (good for bare feet) and create a containment system so gravel doesn't spill all over the yard.
And in the back, for the rest of the yard - tear up the existing grass, level the ground and install sod, increase the size of the beds around the evergreens and transplant existing plants to this area.Stay tuned for the afters. I'm hoping for magic.