I am fix my yard where it is a wonderful refuge and easy to keep

I would start with a focal point. Maybe a small perineal garden and lay a path around that. Then a path off shoot from that to a sitting area. And so on.

Sound good, thank you

We just downsized from a large country property. Our new to us home had a terrible back yard. The first year we did nothing because we had to gauge sun, drainage, etc. We had an odd area due to an addition on the house. It had a lot of shade most of the day but became blistering hot late afternoon. We decided that this would be our patio area due to privacy. We had a flagstone patio laid, wouldn’t do that again due to unevenness, pay more for pavers. It looks great but....

we then hen installed a pre-made gazebo and did boarder plantings. Great shade, shelters us from the heat and little to no maintenance.

Hopw this gives you you some inspiration! Good luck.

I am also a widow and I will be 71in a month. I understand only too well where you are coming from and feel for you. This new life situation is a tough one to adjust to...

5 years ago I moved in with my daughter and her husband, they bought a small house with a basement suite perfect for me, on a fairly large piece of property, by today’s standards. They have given me Carte Blanche outside, the biggest yard I have ever lived with and I am having fun with it. We, you and I, are getting up there so I will suggest care free perennials, once they are planted it’s just maintenance with minimal bending and slaving over them. For instance our back yard is very shady on one side due to neighbor’s huge trees. In the back corner I created a pie shaped shade garden with large Hostas and astilbe. I picked up a small patio table and two chairs at a garage sale,the type you would see in old ice cream parlours, painted them and set them there on some inexpensive rubber patio type squares I found at Lowe’s. Easy to set down and no extra prep work or care required. I got them level enough that at a glance you would never know. Easy does it. I am far from finished here, the yard is always going to be a work in progress. It’s what keeps me busy every spring to autumn, and happy. Even during winter I scour gardening web sites and magazines for ideas, and plants I like. Don’t try to do it all at once. My joy is actually in making changes where I am not in love with last year’s plantings, and making new flower beds here and there. If it ever reaches the point where I feel it is finished I will be bored out of my mind. I have officially run out of space to dig up, the dogs need some room too, but I am becoming good at tweaking, lol. This, incidentally, is my first yard larger than a postage stamp. So much room, so many beautiful plants to choose from, so little time. Good luck with your new project, but get help with back breaking work.

I always had a big yard but the deer ate everything but Rosemary. Had to fence in my roses. I am finding out what you mean about learning as you go. The builders started the front flowerbed and planted Marigolds and schrubs. The schrubs are great but the marigolds couldn’t take the heat. Planted some flowers the nursery recommended and they just don’t look right so I will look for something else. Going to try to extend my patio and get my grandson to build a couple screens of lattice with planters at the base to provide a little privacy. I chise a lot that backs up to a farm bit never thought about the walking trail that runs between the two. It is up high so I see heads go by as people walk. I want to have a retreat, where I can enjoy and soend evenings outside.