I agree with Fiona about the Ficus - they have shocking root systems and should never be used near pools, houses etc. The width of your retaining wall from the photo looks really narrow, so you are going to have trouble growing most things in there; even the Pittosporums will eventually cause structural damage to the walls. The width of any garden bed should be ideally 1.5 metres at least for proper root establishment. This seems to be hard for most people to understand, but the bigger the plant, the wider the root system. So either widen the retaining wall or you will need to keep the plant lower. The pears mentioned also will never work. 5 years is the testing time of a good garden. When first planted they can look great, but they often break down as they grow. The Ficus and Pears' root systems will keep on expanding after the 5 year period with the Ficus having surface roots that cause massive damage to paving, concrete etc. Google it! And I have seen first hand the damage done by another Landscaper's work, based on inexperience. Get professional advice if in doubt - it is worth it if you get a good one. Alison

I'm in the process of leveling off my backyard (1 in 8 slope roughly) using a mixture of heron blocks, pavers and turf. Had to deal with red heavy clay that was under the existing topsoil that came out of the cut excavation. As others have said, gypsum is your friend. I would also recommend a thick geofabric over disturbed areas that you might not be covering for a while but you still need to traffic. Just use tent pegs to pin it down. Works wonders especially over clays during rain, minimises dust and keeps a good moisture content of the clay. Get a heap of good topsoil delivered from a landscape yard. Be sure to go and check it out first tho - feel it in your hands and smell the organic matter to decide what you like. In term of trees frangipanis will look great in the warmer months as a screen - flowering and very leafy, in the winter they will drop leaves and won't screen much. I have a fairly large one at the front of mine and i really like it - I Would recommend planting elsewhere in the yard. I don't know much about trees but i hear lillypillies establish and grow fast and screen well. Good luck

We have a small inner-city backyard with three chooks. They live in a chicken tractor which we built to sit on top of our raised veggie beds. After a harvest is complete, the chooks clean up, till and fertilise the soil. They get let out to free range, and we throw any garden clippings in there, as well as all the food scraps from our kitchen (we have a toddler so there's no shortage of scraps). I buy pellets for $1.50/kg from our local pet wholesaler and they eat about a kilo per week. The coop is totally vermin/fox proof because it's on raised veggie beds, and it doesn't smell at all. It makes our veggie gardens much more productive, with very little work from us. Plus we get 2-3 eggs every day!

Start by spending a portion of your budget on the various dream feature items that are relocatable and can be used in your final design anyway. e.g. Buy the firepit you really want - it can become the focal point of your future garden. Test it outside in your backyard for a few months. Are heaps of mozzies annoying you while you're sitting outside around the firepit? If so, then you'll know that you're going to need a gazebo with flyscreens as well as privacy curtains so you can really enjoy lying outside in your hammock year round. The hammock is another relocatable part of your design. First, lie outside in your backyard on a swag or a rug for a few hours. Is it too windy? Is there road noise? Keep experimenting until you've found the perfect location for the hammock. Then buy an inexpensive hammock and suspend it from a couple of sturdy RL4 poles. If it's working, then this is the place where you should build your future patio, that's going to shelter your hammock. Keep testing inexpensive versions of your other ideas out. Trial tea candles or a string of inexpensive white Christmas lights as garden lighting. Do they create the feel you want or do lights just attract moths or unwanted insects? What about relocatable solar garden lights? Or a portable floodlight from Bunnings? Where's the ideal place for your garden table and chairs? Test it out with inexpensive camping chairs - or chairs you already own for a few months to be sure. Then invest in the perfect outdoor table and chairs. Same with the water feature. Start with a wine barrel with a waterlily or a second hand pond off Gumtree. Can you hear the trickling water in the garden or do other noises crowd it out? Keep in mind big goldfish need deep water and space to swim. To help you in your choice of plants,look around your immediate neighbourhood. What purple, blue and scented plants are thriving in your immediate area? Who has the best garden in your street in your opinion - and why do you think that? Do you always see a particular neighbour passionately working outside in their garden? That's the person you should strike up a conversation with to get advise about suitable plants for your immediate area. Chances are they will not only give you heaps of free advise but they will probably give you plants and cuttings as well. Markets are another source of perennial plants that grow well in the local area. Plant these smaller plants into large plastic pots and garden bags and allow them to grow for a year or so. Consider herbs as filler plants - many are highly scented, can be used in cooking and often have interesting foliage e.g. choc mint, fennel, rosemary etc. After you've been using your backyard for at least a year and you've experienced all of the seasons, then invest in your big ticket items like your gazebo. Buy or build a structure that's truly practical for your local microclimate - incorporate glass, windbreak fencing, shadecloth, mozzie mesh or whatever you need to make your hammock shelter ultra comfortable. Build this structure where you've tested it and know it will work - not where a stranger who designs gardens thinks it should go. Spend the remaining money on the things you know you need and want - the stones, plants, irrigation, a birdbath, etc