Ernie's been posting photos of our backyard work. This is typically how we've done it over the years - early spring is for big jobs and then we just let everything grow for the rest of the year.
This is how the backyard looked at the beginning of the construction work last year (2006) when I started digging out for the first retaining wall:

April 11:

This was earlier in the spring before the back fence was evened out:

And this was our first very early spring right after we bought the house in 2004:

This is how the backyard looked at the beginning of the construction work last year (2006) when I started digging out for the first retaining wall:

April 11:

This was earlier in the spring before the back fence was evened out:

And this was our first very early spring right after we bought the house in 2004:
