Hi there, I am also from New Zealand. I suggest you get in an expert landscaper to do some drawings for you. I am a keen gardener and I would love to see all the things that can make a garden work e.g. a deck with some shade, some really large trees to add volume, texture and balance, a vegetable garden is always excellent, some green lawn, pathways and lower plants e.g. shrubs, flowers, climbers etc. But it all comes down to the look that you like and the best way to determine a look is to view some gardening books, walk around the neighbourhood to see what you like about other peoples gardens, determine what time you have to spend in the garden and how much money you have to "play with". You need to determine do you want easy care - grasses that move in the wind, do you want some rocks and pots to make features, a green house, formal or informal, a pond, etc. A professional person may be able to help you put your idea's together and from there you can make a start. Good Luck.

Hi Bernadette wow, thank you for your great ideas much - appreciated. I would love to see a professional landscaper,
but it seems a little overwhelming. Some various textures would be great. I
love the native look – grasses, a mix of some large rocks. We currently have a
paved undercover area which would look great as a deck leading out to the grass
with a large feature shade tree. Thank you

Re cost of prof help - I live in Perth and got a garden design consultant to come for a 1 hour consult when I was at a loss for what to do in my front garden. She talked me through a plan and left notes on the plants and their locations. Cost $200 which I think was great value.

At a minimum I'd seek advice about any tree planting at boundaries. Best to take into account neighbours' wellbeing. Avoid trees that will have intrusive root systems and branches unless you have neighbours' agreement. And consider aspect. A tree or large shrub may shoot and flower in the direction of your neighbours' properties rather than your house.

I suppose I'm biased but I can't help agreeing with all the people who suggested seeking professional advice.

With the cost of good quality landscape materials and plants being quite high, an amount spent on a professional is well worth it in order to avoid costly mistakes.

eg Whether you keep the path or not depends on how it might be integrated into a design. If you intend to turf the old vegie garden then get rid of the path but if you want something interesting with a variety of plants then it might work well to have it leading through the garden to something special along the way. There are so many options.

Check the Houzz site for garden designers in your area.

Consulting a Landscape Architect or designer is going to be time and money well spent. Taking in the location and aspect of the yard. What you and your family want and how you want to use the space for, will help in creating the design. A good landscape designer can be found through you local landscape industry association and will be able to provide a cost estimate to construct the project. Then if you are going to get contractors to quote the work you will be getting quotes based upon the same brief and not random impressions based upon verbal interpretations which can only confuse your decisions. If your going to do this project your self then ask your designer how they would program the works and how to stage construction. Best of luck. Hope to see the finished job !!

Hi Bree, you are fortunate to have such a fabulous space to play with. I would also recommend engaging the services of a landscape designer to assist with how the garden could best be used to reflect the way you live.

With such a large garden I would be looking at dividing the space into 'garden rooms'. I would also be looking at the garden as a wonderful opportunity to plant some beautiful trees and thinking carefully about their placement. Best of luck with this journey.

Thank you to all for your help & suggestions. It seems like majority say to get a professional to help us plan it out. And I agree, as it it such a large space and very overwhelming to know where to start. We would like to undertake the project ourselves, but at least a professional would advise of the layout and position of trees / features & focal points. Thank you

When we built a few yrs ago and the local Family Nursery was all to happy to come and give me ideas, at no charge. It wasn't something they did normally, but as I had a big backyard and didn't know where to start and she knew by coming out to help, I'd then buy most of the plants from there. Not all, as I shop around for bargains. You have a great canvas, and to make it interestesting you need to block some of it creating little rooms etc. If u can afford it, get quotes from landscapers as you'll find they vary. If your local Nursery doesn't do house calls, I'm sure they'll put you on someone reasonable. Good luck. Just don't go into it without some good advise as u will regret it.

I'd recommend to look up your local landscape association (like Landscape Victoria in Victoria or AILDM). From there you can find a landscaper or designer who can help you and give advice and make your project happen. Best of luck!

Bree, can I add my voice to the chorus advising you to get a professional in? Gill's right, the figure she gives for what sounds like a couple of hours' work and an informal planting plan is about what I'd charge, and it's money well spent. Even if you don't go with precisely what is advised, it gives you a basis to work with. The trouble with free advice is that it's often worth what you paid for it! Garden centre people are used to dealing with juvenile trees and plants, but not usually mature specimens. And they have a vested interest in selling you lots of plants, don't they?