Beginner Gardening: Help me see the big picture, 1 by wickedelph

wickedelph wrote:
I'm trying to come up with the "big picture" for my backyard. I'm not delving into picking actual plants yet, just want to lay out the different areas/uses, trees/shrubs, and hardscaping. I would love to hear any and all suggestions! I've been lurking on this board for a while and know you all have some great ideas.

My backyard is currently mostly lawn. I would like a cottage garden feel, if a bit on the manicured side, with areas for entertaining and relaxing. I'm envisioning a flagstone pathway with groundcover between the stones (or even using the concrete forms, any experience with those?). I'd like to incorporate an area for a firepit where I'll plant a moonlight garden, some lawn for games and such, sitting areas for benches, arbors with climbing vines, and utility areas for the wood pile and future combost bins.

Access from the house is primarily from the sliders in the kitchen to the deck, the back door is only used minimally, and the side door is for more utilitarian uses.

So, looking at the mock up of my yard, what comes to mind?
Thanks for sharing!