Our property sits in a hill. The house sits back from the street about 50
feet and a good 10 feet higher than the street level. Right behind the
house is a 3-4 foot tall retaining wall and about 10 feet behind that begins
the hill that leads to the far back where there's an 8 foot tall retaining
wall and more hills following (mostly woods and such, owned by the city).

At the base of the open hill (i.e., the 10 foot beyond the 3-4 foot tall
retaining wall) there was a partial retaining wall of about 2 feet in
height. It was made out of old stone and had just crumbled due to age so we
took the rest of it down. I'd like to just grade this area a bit, similar
to the other side of the yard that did NOT have a retaining wall, and plant
something interesting in it that will hold back the soil, add a little flair
and maybe some color, you know the gist.

The area gets late morning through late afternoon sun so whatever goes there
would have to be a sun lover. We're in Zone 6. I'm looking for some tips
on grading as well -- this is my first stab at doing anything much in the
way of grading soil (well ok, clay mostly) so I'm open to suggestions. This
area borders a concrete and dirt patio space that I further intend to cover
over with a wood deck next spring.

James