If it were mine, I would do away with the white rock planting area..pave it, use the extra space for large table, furniture, some type of decor on the wall..(shelves?) and keep plantings to large pots/tubs, hanging plants to the perimeter areas where there's more light.It's pretty dark back there, even what looks like aspidistra back there may sulk in that darkness....

wegypsy, I think you are right - it's the only practical solution. It's just too dark back there to do any planting.

We can set up the drip system to keep hanging plants watered and with the addition of some large pots planted generously with foliage and some color it will help draw the eye back out to the garden area.

Thanks for your ideas!

I agree with gypsy. I'd pave it, then consider either staining, concrete stamping or paving your patio with stone or travertine to give it a little more character, so it's not just a slab of concrete. Or, you could have it cut into large squares, and put pavers or flagstone in between the squares. Anything to break it up so it's not just a big concrete rectangle. Place some nice decorative ceramic pots as your posts and plant with something nice, put on drips (run the drip line up through the bottom hole, and place the pots on pot feet.) I like the broken flagstone in front of the patio, so maybe if you can add some more flagstone between the concrete, you can tie that in. You can also plant creeping thyme between your flagstones. It doesn't need a lot of water, will stand up to feet, and will smell nice as you step on it.

Patty S.

I'll join the crowd. I'd pour concrete and do as you said- have a few hanging plants or potted plants on the sunny edge. That wall looks like a good place for seating to me :)
Renee

White rock is ugly and concrete is just about as bad. I would leave the fountain, make sure it is working, and plant the area with tropical looking evergreen plants, that will give the feeling of an oasis. I can not see the rest of your garden, but what I can see looks too "man made". Many plants will grow there, many with colorful bloom seasons. The plaster wall calls out for something with height to soften it. Al

Clivia would thrive there, but filled into the whole area, without the white rocks. Ask around, you may be able to get some for free. Anyone who has Clivia has plenty to share.

However, I'm with the rest, just pave it over, because it will be more functional as a patio that way. Small planting areas on a patio are useless. They reduce the amount of space the area is intended for: sitting or dining. Move the fountain so you have a view of it from inside your home. Look into "wooly pockets" if you want some greenery on the patio--hang a set on the wall and plants some Pothos, Ferns, or Bromeliads in them. You will then have some greenery but more space on your patio.

Good luck and enjoyment for you in your new home!

Wow - love all the ideas! Thanks! Love the idea of altering the looks of the concrete slab but unfortunately our budget is almost as tiny as our house :) We will have the house painted soon and must keep some $$ set aside for that.

We will most likely go with paving in the "hole", moving the fountain to the sunny "Tuscany" side yard where there's several small palms of various types planted. I'll source some great large pots for the patio and some cool hanging arrangements too.

Here's some pics of the rest of the rear yard. We are just in the "getting started" phase so this is by no means near completion. We are still fiddling with the flagstone placement - will most likely not use the smaller ones. I have a flat of creeping thyme and a flat of diacondra to plant once the flagstone is installed properly. I'm trying to grow some flowers and leafy veggies in the raised beds. Not much sun back there. Horrible compacted adobe in the old "lawn" area.

The backyard was totally over-planted with trees. There were trees on top of trees. There were five 25-30' avocado trees planted on that slope. I don't know if we will be able to keep that leaning tree (almost in our neighbor's yard) and two Brazilian Peppers because they are so misshapen. A arborist is coming to have a look at them next week. The side yards are in much better shape, thankfully!

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Still, it's a nice space and you have things there to work with. New projects are always fun......gets hot there, try to keep what you can in the way of shade.

Yep, Gypsy - gets super hot here. When we first moved in we wanted to take the patio cover off completely for additional light but now we love it for the cool shade:)

Yep...I'm in Fallbrook and this side of the hill is about 10 degrees cooler in the summer. Vista is 10 degrees cooler still....sigh.

I actually like the idea of clivia surrounding the fountain. I'd lose the white rocks, though. It needs some softening there.

Clivia is a very pretty flower. I saw a few orange clivia at Home Depot the other day and I was tempted to bring some home but until our puppy grows up I need to be careful of toxic plants in the backyard. But for sure - the white rock is going!

Gypsy, Fallbrook is really a neat area. Kind of rural and eclectic - super pretty.

It used to be so much nicer before we started losing all of the groves..We've been here a long time and we've watched the changes.

I'd remove the Brazillian Peppers. Kind of a trash-tree--they reseed all over. The Avocados can be rehabbed easily. If you want a nice groundcover and your area is not too frosty look at Dymondia margaretae. Excellent stuff, better than Dichondra and Thyme.

Don't be in a hurry to get everything done at once. There's fun in the journey, too. You are off to a great start.

You can grow Chamaedorea seffrizii around the fountain, and it won't mind the shade or the summer heat one bit. Here's a pic of some growing in Palm Desert:

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thanks hoov and cat.

I'm really liking the Chamaedorea seffrizii and the Dymondia margaretae.

You all are awesome :)