The starting point

We moved in January 2019. I committed to watching the yard for a year before doing anything. (This resolve waivers constantly and the yard looks like hell.) I wanted to learn about the soil, the way wind and water moved through the space, and most importantly, to see what plants were already there. Maybe there would be something good! Here are my initial observations.

• Hilarious succession of bloom. The goal in perennial design is to have a few plants blooming at all times. (Annuals bloom all summer but perennials bloom for 2-6 weeks.) This requires some puzzle-fitting, trial and error, and/or watching your garden. Normally people group 3-5 plants of each specimen for effect. The succession of bloom in this yard is hilarious because only one thing blooms at a time and the plants cannot be touching each other. When the one sage on one side of the lawn finishes blooming, the one yellow Coreopsis on the other side begins. I shouldn’t make fun, because it is a competent succession of bloom, it’s just so funny to me that there is one lonely individual of each plant.
  
• Devoid of life. The whole yard is this giant expanse of lawn with a few plants around the sides. Pretty much nothing lives here. I’ve seen dragonflies, a few of what I call “elephant face flies”, various individual bugs, chipmunks, and a fox one time. It ate whatever excavated a den under the shed. Birds don’t even stop, they just fly over because there is no food here for them. I dream of a garden that hums with insect and bird life. Sometimes I despair about the state things are in now, but, hey, that's what the journey of a yard to feed everybody is about!
• Soil. Boy is it sandy. It poofs into smoke clouds when dry. The surface layer is somewhat compacted from years of lawnmower traffic, and front and back are quite acidic. I'm far from hopeless on this issue. I forget where I heard this, but "if all plants needed to grow in rich garden soil, most of the earth would be barren." There are plants that will thrive in any condition, and I can amend the soil for those who want a richer environment.
• The septic system. When I first learned that the sunny expanse of backyard was dominated by a septic tank and drain field, part of me wanted to back out of the sale. (It was a very rushed and frantic home-buying endeavor, so we didn't know much before the inspection). The limitations imposed by this underground contraption have caused me some deep sighs. I've done some reading on septic systems and I think I know how to work around them.
  

So that's where we are starting. I hope someday this yard is unrecognizable and full of life.