Great pic, Kirk! They are an awesome sight to watch ...especially out your windows at home! We didn't enjoy one deer this summer tho...as we got caught in a bad storm taking our GD home in Aug on the 4-lane & hit a deer with our new little Equinox...we'd only had 4 new vehicles in our lifetime (2 for each of us)...and it was just a few days old for us..thankfully, my DH kept everything under control & no one was hurt (except the deer)...poured rain & pitch black & very windy...we shortly exited the 4 lane & drove to an underpass...full of other vehicles...driveable...got new front end practically & all is good. Not my fav way to see a deer upclose...rather use my zoom lens, thank you very much! Jeanne S.

I can't see how dwarf mondo as an "edge" is going to help you. It seems like you would want a solid groundcover for the large shade area and its edge would be THE edge, without a need for any other plant. It's going to be impossible to keep dwarf mondo out of the lawn or out of whatever other groundcover you use. Groundcover for a fairly large area seems to be one of the big "Chinese puzzles" of the landscape industry. Everybody hates an aggressive groundcover, but it takes one with some aggressiveness if it is going to hold up and spread without costing a fortune. It seems to be a general truth in life that cheap and easy solutions end up costing more in maintenance and bother over the long haul, whereas solutions that cost more up front, endure longer with fewer problems. A general truth about groundcover in particular is that if bordering neighbors are already using a certain type, it's best to use that same type, so long as it is adequately doing the job. If using a different type along common borders, it would be very difficult to keep them from mixing, and consequently looking somewhat messy. The easiest solution, of course, is just a thick layer of mulch. But the disadvantages are that it requires periodic replenishment ($) and, as you've noticed, it doesn't hold up to hard "washing." Another is that it doesn't look near as good as an "upholstered" layer of green living "fabric." Take a look around your neighborhood/town and see what other people are using in similar circumstances, and evaluate its look and performance according to your needs. That's probably the best place to start. Since you've fairly recently cleared the area of weeds and poison ivy, there is one advantage to keeping the area clear or just mulch only for one season ... because you can easily see, and eradicate with herbicide or digging, any weeds that return from roots or seeds, buying time for planning.

My objection to the scheme proposed by the picture in the opening statement of the thread, is that eventually, the trees would grow together and screen out a substantial portion of the distant view, which is not only attractive in and of itself, but also adds a significant depth to the view, which is a "plus" as I see it. One must like something about the forest in order to choose this kind of a location. With only minor exceptions, there is a ZOU (zone of unattractiveness) where the "floors" of the forest and yard meet. For the most part, if a screening barricade were set up, it would only need to be about 6' high in order to screen the yard from the ZOU while standing at ground level. From the deck level it might require a 12' screening barricade. (I'm guessing since I don't have a picture that shows that view.) Alternatively, screening the same area from either point of view wouldn't require any height if the forest floor were shielded with a low spreading plant such that all the debris was covered in green foliage. The obvious advantage of covering the floor instead of using a vertical screening element is that the attractive portion of the forest remains completely visible. A second probable advantage is that there are no shrubs/trees at the edge of the lawn to trim, ever. There is just a lawn to mow and the interval of mowing is enough to keep a groundcover at bay. Covering the "floor" requires that a fluid, curving line be established to signify where the lawn ends and the forest floor begins, which should be a few feet in front of the trees' feet. If there are vacant places where the lawn does not exist at its side of the line, grass would need to be established there. This scheme is predicated on getting rid of weeds (most easily by spraying with glyphosate herbicide), mulching to keep weeds down, and installing a relatively low groundcover, starting at the front edge of the bed and working one's way back, that is capable of spreading on its own as most groundcovers are and climbing over debris. The effect would be to smooth out all of the roughness that now exists. Not only without blocking any view, but enhancing what exists now. The minor exceptions to the view looking good that I mentioned earlier, are the two trees leaning at a 45* angle. Those need to be felled.

Being in Texas, home of just about every poisonous critter there is, I’ve had to learn to be cautious outside … and it just becomes second nature. If I’m weeding, I use a rake to rustle the bushes/plants I can’t see under first. We don’t let grass get too tall anywhere or keep anything piled up outside. Don’t stick hands or feet into or under anything you can’t see. We’re very careful walking around in the dark. Besides snakes, we have deadly spiders and scorpions, and are very careful when reaching under or around anything. Things like that. We can’t control nature, so we just try to co-exist peacefully. I call animal control for any poisonous snakes that are in the yard; they come remove and relocate. This has only happened a few times, it’s rare. They relocate Rattlers, Copperheads, and Cottonmouths. I had a Rattlesnake mama have little rattler babies under our deck once. :D I know it can seem scary, but nature really is a beautiful thing. And wild critters want to avoid us, too. :) It’s just a matter of respecting that some animals can be a danger, but not letting fear ruin your enjoyment of being outside. Right now, I wish the snakes would scare off the @#*& armadillo that’s destroying our front yard! :D Your setting looks wonderful. I’d call in a landscape pro for advice about the slope. Congratulations on your house!