u/x-oh

After a few years of being unable to handle the weed overgrowth in our backyard, my wife and I finally ripped everything out, and got all the compacted soil tilled.

The question is: what are the next steps?

Our plan is to have a patio poured, and a small area of grass/clover for our dog on the left half of the yard. Then to mulch the other side and build raised garden beds.

We have 5 drain holes that we are unsure how to plan around. We know that levelling and grading needs to happen. We’re just not entirely sure how best to do that.

Photos are before and after scraping and tilling.

Any/all advice is welcome!

Edit: forgot to say, Northern CA (Sacramento) zone 9A.

Hello, I recently (3 weeks ago) planted this Spanish lavender plant in a planter bed with a recommended cactus soil. However, I didn’t account for a heavy rain storm that hit less than a week after planting. Worried that I already messed up and might need to start again.

Some area specifics:

-NorCal Zone 9a (Sacramento)

-front yard, facing east. Currently sun from around 7am-4pm (will be more come summer)

-bed also has some poppies growing.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!