Thanks so much for your advice. I really appreciate your time in answering my post!

Since you live in a wooded area, you really need to look at Firewise

Thanks. I'll check it out.

You are now stewards of a large tract of land. There's a lot that goes into managing a forest. You'll have to deal with invasive weeds, and the deer will eat your favorite landscape plants, even the ones that all the web sites say are deer resistant. Learn how to fence and buy "Deer Off" by the gallon, with a large sprayer. Weeds will invade your yard from the unmanaged area. If it were me, I would think of it in terms of groupings and use mulch underneath to help suppress weeds. Perhaps compost and buy a leaf shredder/twig to create your own mulch. That way I could handle the area systematically. In a forest, trees, shrubs and understory plants all live together in "guilds" which are mutually beneficial associations. I would research guilds for my zone and slowly attempt to create landscape beds designed to mimic the way these natural plant associations grow in a healthy forest.

Wow! What a lot of great information. Thank you I pinkmountain.

Also, though it's certainly true that deer tastes vary from herd to herd and starving deer will eat anything even if it's poisonous, it's also true that there are a very large number of highly deer resistant plants--even for shade. Keep plants that deer like to a minimum--you'll drive yourself nuts trying to keep everything in a garden sprayed-- and focus on the ones they really aren't interested in.

You don't say where you are, but in my zone a short list of resistant plants for shade would be sarcococca, pulmonaria, epimediums, hellebores, primroses, dodacatheons, daffodils, Virginia bluebells. Just a short list. There are many others.

Typically, trees will be grouped AND stand alone. Larger, taller trees will be more distant from the building. Smaller trees will be closer. Where more privacy is desired, trees may be grouped. Where less is desired, trees may be standalone ... such as at the front, perimeter. Sometimes, grouped trees may shield the house from the road. A lot of this is subjective depending on user desires and how the overall scheme is fit together. Most people want to show off the front of their house and keep the back yard private. Another consideration with the tree placement is the type of tree, the branching habit and how it is maintained. Low branches (like a shrub) can conceal, but usually consume a large portion of ground-floor space.

Laceyvail --Thanks so much for the helpful information. We are in Magnolia Texas which is about 50 miles north of Houston. I did obtain a list of plants. After living in Houston for 48 years, where the soil is awful gumbo, our new home will have wonderful soil for growing things. I do love critters, so if I can't grow all the plants I like, I will be consoled by watching the deer!

Yardvaark--(love your name!) Great advice for tree placement. Most of our trees as shown in the picture above, are very tall and not very spreading. I do think I like the idea of grouping them in bunches, and adding mulch underneath. I have aspidestra and azaleas under my trees at my current house and would love to have them at the new house too, but I'm afraid the deer would appreciate them too! Thanks.

From what I could see , certain groups stood out so I went with a mild clearing of the area. removing some of the back area could really brighten it up. That center area looks like a natural horseshoe pit , to the left a wicker chair set covered with a pergola , then the regrowth and ferns could make it look like a natural outdoor porch. Hope it helps

One suggestion I would make during the building of your house is that during the site prep, don't let them skim off and take your top soil. These days they will show up with equipment and a dump truck to skim and take the top soil. It's very valuable and they get a lot of money for it. If they need to level the ground to pour the slab, tell them to pile the top soil up in a certain spot for your use later.

Sounds beautiful Mikke. You're pretty good at fixing the photo on your computer! Thanks for the ideas.

Memetexas-So glad you gave us a heads up! We'll be sure to watch them when they do the site prep. Thank you!

Does looks like the site is subject to fire. Also if this is in the hurricane belt at all that seems likely to affect how close you want trees to the house. If most of them look like the ones in the picture it might be as well to clear and re-plant.

Deer can be fenced out comparatively cheaply and permanently - no re-application of sprays needed - with 10 ft. deer netting stapled to peeler poles. And except for the poles this system doesn't show up that much - the netting is kind of hard to see. Which is good because deer sometimes jump into it, bounce off and then appear to be left baffled. Something that it seems might make these individuals avoid the area afterward.

Thanks for the info Ebothrium!

If you plan to burn wood in your fireplace, a stove, or an outdoor firepit, learn to distinguish which of your woods is best for each and cut/stockpile accordingly. From a landscaping perspective, observe which trees cast the most shade and take up the most moisture, since they may be the ones you want to cull. Deep shade can be good, but not if you want to also plant understory trees or screening conifers and almost all broadleaf evergreens.

I live in your average suburban area with a lot of deer and manage an extensive woodlot and show gardens. Deer have and do eat almost everything, on a regular basis, not an extreme one. I'm not suggesting you spray everything, only things you value highly. Same with fencing. I usually fence plants until they are large enough to take deer browsing without being killed, and also as plants mature they are less desirable as deer browse. As far as spraying, I would recommend that for highly ornamental plants, like specimen plants. For example, deer have, for the second year in a row, decimated my Chinese holly, which is supposed to be deer resistant, and also this year decimated my weeping Serbian spruce, which is also supposed to be deer resistant. I've seen them shred young blue spruces, on a regular basis. So my caution is simply be aware what whatever you put out is going to be subject to deer browsing so plan accordingly. In the case of my Spruce, I didn't do anything to protect it (its on all the deer resistant lists), and now I have to spend the $150.00 to replace it, as it is a specimen/show tree. I have found, as owner of a large lot adjacent to a wild forest, that you have zones of concern. Near the house where it is easier to get the tools and tricks of maintenance to the plant, I plant things that I protect more aggressively, and plan accordingly. Farther out, I plant things that can take the abuse and hope for the best. And in the woodlot, I inspect it on a regular basis and do what I can to help nature maintain its balance, for my aesthetic purposes. I try to keep on top of the worst weeds that will take over, and thin trees based on their health and form, leaving a few less than stellar ones for the woodpeckers.

Deer Resistant Evergreen Trees

Deer Resistant plants for homeowners

I am so thankful for all my wonderful friends on House! I really appreciate all the help they are giving me. You're awesome!!!!!@

this is a fall pic but the best one I have showing the quantity of trees on our lot..good comments above about the top soil, not removing too many trees, hiring a qualified arborist (not a guy with a truck and a chainsaw)..I've had minor deer damage but decided to accept it as part of living in a woods..have never used repellents..I DO plant deer resistant plants and plant the less resistant prized plants near the house to maybe(?) help protect them..we own a chipper and compost our debris..I leave lots of leaves where they fall..I have neighbors that pay to remove ALL debris and then spread mulch but I HATE the look..looks FAKE!..my woodland looks natural and my trees and plants are MUCH healthier than theirs..my soil is wonderful..an arborist asked me "what kind of fertilizer do you use?..these plants look really good" ..that was a big compliment coming from someone in people's gardens everyday..I told him I use my homemade compost..last year for the first time I tried Milorganite..I bought it for my annuals and tropicals but had a big bag so I put some on perennials and shrubs..I think it's a good product and will get some this year too..a pic when my trees are green..

Nicholsworth makes and excellent point about the role of fertilizer. I don't know all the science of it, but highly fertilized plants are very attractive to deer, and the fertilizer with high nitrogen is conducive to weed growth. So I often get deer browse right when I plant something from the nursery or for the first year. I think all the nitrogen they hop the plants up with makes very tasty leaves and twigs. Natural compost, which is a slow-release fertilizer, makes less tasty plants. Also, over the long haul, the slower growing plants, (which is more natural) survive better and your soil is more resistant to weeds and diseases that might infect your plants. Natural mulch is key to maintaining your forest bed health. Resist the urge to speed up your yard's growth with concentrated fertilizer applications. Resist the urge to "sweep" up all the leaves in your yard for a "clean" look under all the trees. A healthy forest begins with the soil, and once messed up, it takes a while to regain its health.

Edited to add, Nocholsworth, I am interested in knowing what kind of chipper you have? I investigated getting one, but am still on the fence. I could also rent one I guess. I am waiting until I have my large beds all in place but definitely need to get one.

I pinkmountain..my husband bought it from Sears about 15 years ago..a Craftsman brand..it's lasted because my husband takes care of it..cleans and oils it..and when we use it we don't overload it..we chip leaves and small (less than 2 inches) sticks..the results are wonderful..amazing how chipping reduces the size of a pile of debris..we've used some big limbs as edging..given some stuff too big to chip to a neighbor for his fire pit..it's extra work to chip and compost but I believe it's the healthy earth friendly thing to do..

Beautiful property! Lucky you!

Landscaping and gardening are hyper-local activities. Before you cut down a single tree you might want to contact your local Extension Service. They likely have Extension Agents on staff who can provide valuable (usually free) advice about your land, trees and landscaping, including environmental considerations. I'd also strongly suggest you consult with a local arborist who works extensively in your area. A good arborist is worth every penny. Good luck with your project!

Chipping is not the only or necessarily the productive thing to do with your woody debris. Look up hugelkulture. I also have been simply spreading and flattening cut up branches, piling leaves on top, and planting ferns right through them. If you need chips in bulk, tree companies are happy to dump them where you want them. I find chipping loud and unpleasant myself, not to mention dangerous.

Wow-you guys are a wealth of knowledge! When my underbrush was cleared, they mulched it all into the soil instead of taking it away. Nicholsworth55-your property looks wonderful. Hope I can do as well. Kitasei-you're idea of planting ferns right on top of woody debris is great, Thanks to you all again.

kitasei..chipping is loud..we wear ear protection..lawnmowers, chainsaws, snowblowers, leafblowers are ALL loud..not everyone is physically able or has enough debris to chip..but our leaves are overwhelming if we don't chip and I want to use them not haul them off..we chip only about half? of our leaves..we leave LOTS of fallen debris in place..sometimes I walk around with my Felco clippers pick up fallen limbs and clip in smaller pieces and let it drop..we're very careful with power tools..my husband uses the chipper, chainsaw, table saw, miter saw, sawsall (?) etc without any problems but takes every precaution..I disagree that chipping leaves is not productive..speeds up the composting process..the place looks much better than it would if we made piles everywhere..we have too many trees and roots to dig pits for trench composting..

Yeah, I have 31 trees on my property. I do just about everything imaginable with limb and leaf debris, from leaving it in place to using the larger ones as garden bed borders to composting and using for occasional campfires. I even do crafts and play games with them! ;) The reason I would want to chip is that I don't have the space for a large scale compost operation, I need mine to turn over fast. The adjacent woodlot is not mine but I do also haul debris there on occasion, if I know it will break down to become part of the landscape anyway. But the leaves I haul over there end up blowing back into my yard, so sort of counter productive. Mulch stays put better. Thank goodness I love trees, so I actually don't mind the constant puttering with them. I plant them too! If you want to get real technical with it, the best forest compost comes from your forest. I use a massive amount of wood chips I get from the city forester, but a lot of times those chips have weed seeds in them, so again, just something to be cautious about and aware of.

a pic when the trees are leafed out..you can imagine how many leaves we have when they drop..we enjoy outside work and making our woodland garden more tidy yet natural is rewarding..the chipper is helpful..

The peeler pole mounted 10 ft. high netting I was talking about would be for fencing entire garden areas and not individual specimens.

The latter is something I would never bother with myself.

Along with buying and applying repellent sprays, over and over.

Re deer pressure. I just want to add that the amount of deer pressure makes a huge difference in how you garden. I live in the country with moderate deer pressure, and for some years had a small garden consulting business that specialized in deer resistant plantings. But heavy deer pressure is quite different, and only the gardener can decide how bad it is. With a personal garden ranging from highly deer resistant to moderately deer resistant (and with only a very few deer favorites) plants, deer mostly leave me alone except in winter when they want to browse my Oakleaf hydrangeas, which I wrap in plastic netting, a technique that has worked to deter them for almost 20 years.

Another thing to keep in mind is that while it's discouraging to come out and see that deer have eaten your tulips, or daylilies, or phlox, they will recover next year. But when deer browse woody ornamentals in winter (generally they leave them alone during the growing season) the shrubs/trees may take years to recover. And often they're a total loss.