As a newbie to the whole gardening/yardwork thing, I am not familiar with the latin names of many plant species, so do "dumb it down" a bit for me if you could. I am leaning greatly toward perennials as flowering plants, and a mixture of trees (staying clear of needled trees and the prickly Junipers. Also, drought tolerant plants are appreciated as Calgary is somewhat lacking in water resources at times.

Any suggestions for the following would be muchly appreciated.....

Grass (lawn) is anything but green. The sod was apparently laid last year and watered only twice (cut once). This year it is very patchy - in some areas just dirt, other areas are "somewhat" green. and other areas (by fences) are just plain brown. Is there hope in getting it back, or should we just have the whole thing re-sodded?

I am also looking for an appropriate tree as a feature in the front yard (faces northwest - gets sun most of the day after 10 am or so) Ideally, I would like one that doesn't get much more than 10 - 15 feet with a spread of not more than that (smallish front yard). I am not keen on any type of needled evergreen (fir, pine, etc.) but would like one that stays somewhat close to the ground in terms of branching (2 or 3 feet about groundlevel). As it will be in a "bed" of sorts, some suggestions for low-level leafy groundcover would also be appreciated (the "bed" is kinda kidney shaped)

We have a starter hedge of cotoneasters ("L shaped") along the front walkway, and am also open to some suggestions for ornamentals that will remain small (about 1 foot high) as accents in front of the hedges (will receive about 3-4 hours of sun). Preferably something that will contrast nicely against the contoneastor background (when fully grown). If there is something similar to a hosta that perhaps comes in colours other than the greens, that would do nicely I believe.

I have also run across a tree in my boss's yard that I would like. Unfortunately, he has no idea what kind it is. Perhaps from the description, someone out there may have some ideas. It is a dark wood bark, but a somewhat shiny finish (much like a birch). The distinguishing feature is that it grows very twisted and knarly..... it reminds me of those wonderful pieces of driftwood you often see as landscape accents, or in artistic photographs. As far as leaving goes, they are pretty standard leaves (about 2" across or so and 2-3 long). It branches from the ground and each brach is knotted and twisted. Each of the main braches is around 6" - 7" thick.... any ideas?

This year's endeavor is to get the front yard completed (and the whole lawn part fixed)..... next year it's the back yard I'll need help on.

1.Live in the house a bit before running out and buying the first thing you see.

2. Start by going to your local library and doing the RESEARCH. Make a list of what you LIKE, based on what u see in the books and magazines. You need to consider the following: sun exposure(sun, partial sun, shade, height(back of the bed, centre piece, front of the bed, ground cover), color (and bloom period if flowering plant), adult size, type of soil and watering requirements.

3. Take your list to your local GARDEN CENTRE or LANDSCAPER. Don't be afraid to ask questions; that's what they are there for! Taking their judicious advice will save you time, money, and back pain medication! lol

How's that for starters? :D

That being said, here is my 2 cents worth:
If you mix compost and regular garden soil, throw a couple of shovel-fulls (at least 4 inches) over sparse areas and seed with dwarf white clover, you'll have a luscious new 'lawn' in no time. Oh yeah, don't forget to water often the first couple of weeks.

Small tree suggestion: amelanchier canadiensis. About a 15-footer, white flowers around now, blueberry-like fruit in July (attracts birds and jam-lovers!). Hardy, easy, pretty.

Mid-height perennials in front of cotoneaster: Hosta, astilbe, campanula, heuchera, perennial geranium, ligularia, bleeding hearts, hydrangea, spirea Van Houtte(white) or Anthony Waterer(raspberry), potentilla. All these are easy to grow, tolerate less sun AND flower. I'd throw in a hakonechloa, a flowerless two-toned perennial grass that is a definite eye catcher in any garden. Also many types of ferns... You know, foliage is nice too in the garden!

The tree in your boss's yard: Dunno either, but my guess is a Caragana.

Happy gardening!

Amelanchier ALNIFOLIA, is the Saskatoon Berry or Serviceberry bush that produces large-blueberry-looking-slash-almond-flavoured berries-slash-that-make-scrumptious-pies fruit!! :D