Another book to check out is The American Woodland Garden by Rick Darke. I live on a rather large acerage that was logged prior to our purchase of it, and I constantly do selective removal and planting, so I'll share a bit of my experience with this approach. I have 3 varieties of native viburnum and two of native dogwoods (including my favorite, Cornus alternifolia) that I leave and thin back the competition from, as well as some natives like rhodies, blueberries, Kalmia, and lots of ferns and wildflowers. I have added additional woodies like other rhodies and kousa dogwood, as well as natives that weren't already here like clethra, redbud, vernal witch hazel, and fringe tree. I also do removal of invasives like barberry, buckthorn, honeysuckle and autumn olive with a combination of pulling with a pair of oversized pliers for the smallest plants in the loosest soil or cutting small saplings with a saw blade on an industrial strength weed whacker-type implement or a chainsaw, depending on the size. The ones I cut often get some Roundup directly on the resprouts, avoiding nearby desirable plants. We have drilled large holes in the top of a few of the larger stumps and added a bit of fertilizer as the damp and extra nitrogen encourages the growth of bacteria to rot the stumps. A brushhog (large tractor-mounted mower) has been helpful in keeping back growth of undesirables until some of our preferred plants have gotten large enough to fend for themselves. (Often my plants are small in order afford more of them.) I also do use Roundup on the poison ivy in areas where I or the animals will be as I'm really sensitive to it, but again, I shield or avoid nearby desireable plants. I have acid, fast-draining silty soil with little organic matter, so I do mulch, but with quite light layers of shavings from my husband's woodshop that nestle down below the foliage of the native ground covers and spring ephermerals. It works rather like an addition to the natural fall of leaves and pine needles, and holds in moisture where it may help struggling native plants that need a bit more even moisture than my soil provides, and has worked quite well to prevent or reduce the sprouting of undesirable seeds of plants like blackberries. Although I have lots left to do, it gives me joy to see the number of flowering plants in my partially to deeply shaded woodlands throughout the spring and early summer. It sounds like much of what you've planned will thrive in your setting as long as you research preferred light levels for each individual variety and perhaps be ready to do a bit of moving around to make some plants happier. For instance I've found that Ilex verticillata really prefers a fair amount of light (close to full sun) to bloom/berry well and grow thickly. My Northern Hi-lights azalea is planted next to a Nova Zembla rhodie, which is supposed to take a fair amount of shade. The N. Hilight blooms prolifically every year, but the Nova Zembla is getting moved to at least 1/2 day sun, as it doesn't currently bloom. Just one other thought - if you leave some of your small hemlocks, the dark green, fine-textured foliage makes a lovely contrast/backdrop to blossoming trees and shrubs and variegated folage.

He's huge....close to 20 pounds. He started life as a feral, was rescued in Seattle and adopted to a lovely woman. She had breast cancer and was dying and feared her family would dump him in a shelter. So she turned to an internet cat lover group, and I adopted him. He came cross-country on the "pet bus," and has just thrived. Strange thing...the day she died from breast cancer, he knew. I was getting out of the shower and he came in and just wept. I can't explain his meows other than weeping. I feared that's what it was, because he'd never cried like that, and I went to the Internet breast cancer group, and sure enough, she had passed a few hours before. Really a bittersweet story.

THanks hortster and Carol23for the help! I have been without power for a few days so didn't see your answers until now. I do have a buckthorn tall hedge that shows in some of the pictures. Is the other one a different species of buckthorn? How interesting. In many parts of the country, buckthorn tallhedge is an invasive; but, in my yard, the one I have is very well behaved (it's in the backyard). It looks like I have two little volunteers in the side yard where this picture was taken and I'll transplant them to the backyard and see if they like it there. In any case, the one I was trying to identify is pretty ugly and it's an ex-weed/whatever now. We had a bad storm this past Thursday and today, while cleaning up from it, I took a good look at the weed/whatever and removed it. I found another one in my front yard and it went to great beyond, with my help, as well. Thanks again. Barbara

There are no large trees in our yard, and I the adjoining has a maple, though there is an easement with a treelike that I have yet to really inspect. I will do so and see if I see any large locusts. Thanks!!