I live in Salem Ma zone 6b and 7a. I have attempted a few times in the past (different houses and states) to do gardening and landscaping but it’s never felt like it’s worked really. I want to make some changes to my back yard and make it look aesthetically pleasing. 

The upper flower bed the wife and I want it to be fully wildflowers for our area. We attempted to plant last year and it didn’t go well. I believe this to be for poor planning and prep but I assumed we wouldn’t need much with it being wildflowers. The soil is fairly hard with a lighter topsoil and tough as you get through the first quarter inch or so. There’s also a lot of rock. I would love to know what we could do to make it better. There used to be a shed on the left we had removed and I want to extend the wall all the way over but I figure it is better to replace the whole thing so it’s uniform. Is it worth doing do you think?

The yard itself is patchy and has a ton of flowers. The tulips are spreading lol which we don’t mind so much. I’d love to make the yard clover or have the native grass fill it out fully. There used to be a pool next to the deck and that’s super sandy and shit soil. I assume that used to be a level base for the pool to sit on. I’d love to know recommendations on how to make the grass more full and not so… knobby? Like the ground isn’t even. I’ve seen people fill it with sand and spread that but idk how that would work for my yard. I was also interested in replacing my pavers so make that look nice as well. 

The front flower bed isn’t that bad I’d love for it just be a bit nicer. Any tips or recommendations for that would be great. 

I haven’t trimmed or cut this year. The wife won’t let me mow until late May since we have a large bunny population in the neighborhood and she doesn’t want me to mow any of them down. Thanks in advance! 

Wanting to know what steps to take