Analysis first, then plan, as Tookoo recommends. Use native plants, as neotoma recommends. Get specific plant recommendations locally, as Terri & sgelade recommend. Here is my two cents worth, for the shortterm. a. Remove and stockpile the lawn edging and most of the mulch back against the fences. b. Take a can of spray paint, or a bundle of surveyor's flag, and mark the largest circular or curved form that will fit within the fenced areas, no matter where the trees stand (inside or outside of the line) to form the temporary edge of your lawn area. See if the entire family agrees on the alignment or just do what looks best to you as the Senior Gardener. c. Add the wood edging to the new edge, or, it will look a lot better if the edge is not visible, using a steel edge whose top edge is down just above the grass roots and no longer visible, and not an impediment to the lawn mower. (when you form the plant beds, you will dig down a couple inches at the edge, where it meets the steel, and then slope the bed up from there, and the mulch will be contained at the level of the lawn, beyond) My recommendation, after you call in your landscape advisor, is to fill the beds totally with ground cover, beneath the shrubs, so no mulch will be seen after the two years of plant growth, using only a finer textured mulch which will become part of the soil bed. (Maybe the bark mulch will smell good in your new fire pit, along with the wood edging.) d. Plant the entire area with grass seed or sod and enjoy the beauty. The curved edge will make the space appear and feel larger and will decrease the maintenance of the smaller bed areas. On the subject of tree placement: analyse first, then plan. Look at all the views beyond your fenceline from all windows of the house, the living/ dining areas, all the bedrooms, to enhance the good views and to block the big, the bad, and the ugly. The large trees on your list will block views from the upper windows, The small horizontally branched trees will be a piece of sculpture in your downstairs view throughout the year, while their flowering and fragrance yet another reason to be alive. For instance, if you have an attractive small tree that has attractive flowers and foliage, PLUS has attractive bark color and has a sculptural quality in the off-season, you won't have to visit the museum quite as often, with a sculpture garden right out your window.

Julie Herbert - thank you sooo much!!! I have seen these trees and wanted to know the names of them :) ...and now i know..I was googling fireworks trees hahaha. Thanks again!! I'm sooo happy now~

What a great pool for starters. I do see your dilemma though. For the fence: I would give it a paint, choose a colour that ties your house in. Add laser cut screens or put in a vertical wall garden as you don't have a lot of room to have a row of pots. In saying that a few large pots around are great to add some interest and colour. Strelitzia's are great plants to use. Tough, can handle sun, lovely bright orange flowers. Certain sun loving bromeliads, great colours. Clumping palms are always a winner. Just watch yuccas, as previously suggested, as they are often spikey, with kids running around I would stick with softer foliage. Somewhere to sit is always important but again you don't seem to have a lot of space and you don't want to overcrowd the area. Perhaps a long bench seat along the far fence, include outdoor cushions and built in storage under seat for pool toys. A large umbrella in the corner for some shade. All of these can add colour while being practical. However I do like the idea of extending the back pool fence out to create more space, Bali hut here we come! This may not be an option.... Good luck, I'm sure with a bit of planning you can turn this into a beautiful space for everyone to enjoy.

If you want to know what grows in Adelaide take a trip to the botanic gardens. It's worthwhile. There are many styles of gardens within those grounds and as you walk around you will get ideas of things you like and things you don't. It's a climate similar to spain and italy. So generally all mediterrenean (sorry I can't spell this word never have) styled garden plants will do well. Citrus, roses, aromatic herbs (rosemary and lavenders grow like weeds there), olives, many types of bulbs etc, lots of hedging options. You have a great climate for growing fruiting plants that can feed your family. Consider this option. If you want your garden to look great you need to start with a specific style in mind. Look up Pinterest and you will find hundreds of pictures of various garden styles. Then make a list of all the plants that commonly feature in that style of garden you favour. From that pick your favourites. Make a map of your garden zones and write down how many hours of full sun each section gets. This will narrow your plant choices. Take note of the maximum height of anything you plant and choose according to that. Too many people plant something that looks nice as an immature plant and end up with a 10m monster in their yard at maturity. Your landscaper is right Adelaide is a clay pan, the soil needs to be improved a lot before you plant into it. Buying a premium garden soil mix is an easy way to do that but you will have to put a clay breaker underneath it too.