Reminds me of an article I saw in Money magazine several years ago while waiting for a doctor's appointment. The title was something like "great ways to spend a $10,000 windfall". One suggestion: plant a tree. No, not a normal tree that will take several years to grow, but for $10k you can plant a truly massive hardwood. Price was mostly for the excavator and shipping (which is sizable on a 50' tree, ya know?)
ever since I've kind of looked at landscaping like I do with compound interest - be patient and have a plan and in a few decades you'll have something normally obtainable only by the very wealthy.