deer will even eat those if they are starving

Hi, I think you answered your own question there! They will likely not eat those plants unless nothing tastier is there.

You can pursue physical barriers. I know that people sell tree wraps/protection for saplings. Sometimes it is not a matter of eating them, but of rubbing against them during the rut season (thereby stripping the bark and killing the tree). I have some wire fencing material that I use to make a protective circle with (since it comes in a roll, it is naturally inclined to make a circle). I also use Deer Off to spray tasty flower buds (azaleas) during the winter. Bird netting over shrubs might deter some munching.

I would not worry much about burrowing creatures. Adopt a few cats from the shelter and let them spend some time outside while you are around. They don't have to be "barn cats" to get the job done.

Good luck! I'm fighting my own invasives on two acres ... mostly japanese honeysuckle, but seeds from the neighbors' privets and elaeagnus pop up too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Example of tree wraps

Young trees can be critter food. But before you buy a lot of new plants, you might want to hit the invasives continuously and hard for a year or two. This has a couple of things going for it. First, you put a dent in the invasives. Second, you get to look at your land through a few seasons and learn more about it before planting and learn in which areas the invasives rebound more quickly. Finally, some natives will volunteer or rebound after the invasive assault is mitigated and you might find you get a lot of good stuff for free.
Around here, the deer have not been eating sassafras trees, tulip trees and spice bush.

Bob64 has good advice. I originally thought you cleared the 'weeds' and then planted natives. In some areas I pulled or killed invasives like poison ivy, thistles, nightshade. In one are, stupidly, I cleared everything and planted a wildflower mix, and a vegetable garden. An injury kept me away from my garden for a while. The cleared and planted area filled with horrible invasives while the places I had pulled invaders from started to get really nice natives including lobelia, boneset, fleabane, and sundrops. I just keep the invasives out of the sundrops, and now after three summers, the sundrops are still choked with grasses but have become a glorious mass of lemon yellow blossoms.

Don't move too fast. Watch what the critters are eating in your area. You may not miss what they eat. You may start to notice tree seedlings that can be nurtured by keeping growth from covering them.

I also learned that many natives do not bloom until the second year. Many look alike the first year, but become very different the second year. I finally left some scraggly stalks alone by my garage and discovered beautiful blue asters at the end of summer.

It is so much fun if you can be patient a year or two.

I have lots of deer here yet I can grow most plants, except those that are really deer favorites. As you get used to the new place you'll find that deer frequent some areas more than others. Where deer hang out or pass by frequently they will nibble everything, in other areas away from a deer trail you can probably grow a wider variety of plants.

Deer are a problem mostly for young plants. Once a shrub gets larger, deer damage won't be such a big deal. You may have to use fences around smaller shrubs. Regardless of reasonable steps you might take, I expect you'll find a few plants that the deer like too much to allow you to grow them.

I wouldn't worry about burrowing creatures. They are mostly a problem with ornamentals, in my experience. I definitely would not try to have free-roaming cats control rodents. Why plant a garden of native plants and attract birds and wildlife only to have them killed by feral cats? Keep the cats inside and don't worry too much about the rodents. They are part of a native garden just as much as the plants.

Before you do anything, do consider the great advice given here to wait at least a year before you begin planting. Get to know the property, which areas get sun, which get morning sun, which stay shady all day, which areas have the best soil, which areas are warmer/cooler/protected, etc., what kind of birds, butterflies and wild creatures visit your yard, and you might even want to find out what trees/plants attract those specific species.

When I first bought an old farmhouse on acreage that had been neglected for decades, I decided to hire a native plant expert to evaluate the property. It was the best $50 I ever could have possibly spent on my garden.

It was simple to find a native plant nurseryman willing to come out for a couple hours and identify the trees, shrubs, vines, and most importantly the invasives on my property. Many offer this service. Or you can ask someone from the cooperative extension office to give you a couple hours of their expertise. I'm sure they'd be happy to help for $50 or whatever.

Before he came out, I prepared a sketch of my property, so as we went around the place, it was easy to write down what everything was. I also took colored string to tie around the invasive plants that had to be removed. Then my job for the next couple years was Removal Operations.

Beat the invasives back, and see what comes up then! You might be pleasantly surprised.

When I cleared the garlic mustard out of the woods (which I worked on for Years! before I gave up on hand-pulling and got rid of it with Roundup), I was just amazed to find trillium and solomon's seal, among many other beauties, popping up in my woodland all by themselves.

When it does come time to plant, start with the big things, the trees and shrubs. Do some research on the proper distance to plant shade trees from a new house because many people screw this up.

But if you first educate yourself and get rid of the true "weeds," you might just have two gorgeous acres of native wildflowers, a gift to you from Mother Nature, waiting to be revealed under that blanket of invasives.

But farmland meaning acreage that was tilled and planted with corn, beans, wheat, oats etc? Or farmland that wasn't tilled and used as pasture? What is currently on the land? What was it used for? I ask because we had a house built on former farmland. Meaning it was a corn and bean field before they started building homes. I could of waited an eternity and never had anything native pop up.

Thank you all so much for your answers! So much to think about. . .

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post back - we're in the thick of moving prep right now, and life is crazy, lol.

To answer the last reply - farmland as in a cornfield. Sooo. . . not looking too hopefully for "hidden gems."

I love the advice about having a native expert come out and walk with me. We were out there yesterday, and I was trying to grab pictures of stuff to ID, and there's going to be a lot, lol. I did ID 2 things, I think, but I have questions that I'll put in a sperate post. . .

One question. . . If I take the approach recommended above - fight the invasives before planting anything - do I plant anything as a "place holder" as I rip out the invasives? Won't the already existing invasives just spread more if I leave the ground bare? Or should I just do lawn seed that I can keep mowed until I am ready to put more interesting things in?

And, in general, I'm not the chemical using type. . . Is it rediculous to think that I can be successful at this without round up? My plan was to take a spade and weed wacker out with me for a good 2 hour exercise session each day, starting at the house, and working down to the woods edge. Am I nuts, lol?

I need to re-read these posts a few times, lol, so much information (which is great!) So please forgive me if I keep returning with more questions. . .

"One question. . . If I take the approach recommended above - fight the invasives before planting anything - do I plant anything as a "place holder" as I rip out the invasives? Won't the already existing invasives just spread more if I leave the ground bare? Or should I just do lawn seed that I can keep mowed until I am ready to put more interesting things in?"

I think it really depends on the characteristics of the property, which invasives you have, etc. and a native plant expert ought to be able to steer you down the right path.

I would not plant grass, though. It will be a job to remove it later!

Whether or not to resort to chemicals... that is a tough call. I hate the idea of chemicals too. With the particular evil weed I battled (garlic mustard) there was no other realistic choice. I hand-pulled for five years, to the point that I got muscle cramps in my biceps and shoulders! I filled countless garbage bags. It was depressing. Roundup saved my back and sanity. You have only 2 acres, and hopefully not such a massive problem. If you have wetland or stream nearby there's an alternative product called Rodeo. Hopefully you won't need to use it.