I didn't see your 10:21 post. Sand, silt and clay can be divided according to size from larger (sand) to smaller (clay) (albeit ignoring other important characteristics like element/chemical content and physical structure-clay being platelets) . It appears to me that your jars are showing a distinct horizon between particle sizes and the "2" mark. I may be wrong. The differences are important as to the different characteristics. For instance, among other traits, sand imparts no structure, has poor water retention, high leaching, low TEC (nutrient holding capacity); while clay has high (but slow to absorb) water retention ability, large capacity for holding nutrients, and its structure holds together so well that it is susceptable to compaction.. Your soils TEC is likely to fall in the 7-10 range. Guessing is fun, but not very useful. I hate to keep advising people to spend money, and I have no connection to any lab, but it is always advantageous to get a soil test (loganlabs.com) so you have as much reliable information about your soil as possible to help in making decissions rather than guesses. There is a guy who visits now and again who is very knowledgeable on all things soil. If you do get a report from logan and post it, he might give you some pointers--or not. Worth a try. This post was edited by grass1950 on Mon, Aug 12, 13 at 16:50

Deer resistant shrubs that might work for you include Kalmias (mature sizes vary, but these shrubs are not cheap), spireas (the smaller ones), Iteas, 'Palibin' lilacs, Lespedeza 'Spring Grove' and 'Little Buddy', Nanho Buddleias, junipers and others that I can't think of right now, including some of the smaller viburnums. Some of these plants need more sun than others. Also deer resistant are ornamental grasses. If I were planting the area you describe, I would mix plants, grouping the smaller ones, like the spireas, into plantings of 5-7. Try to avoid planting in a straight line. Also, keep in mind that deer resistant is NOT deer proof. If deer have the run of a property, they will taste anything new and are bound to develop a taste for something that ordinarily they would have little interest in. Keep new plants sprayed and make a real effort to get deer to avoid your property. It can be done.

Ivy would be the obvious choice, requiring minimal care after it gets established. It's also associated with centers of learning, and large masses of it invite quiet contemplation.

I actually had a similar problem when I had my house built. They did the slope of the yard right, but right in the middle of the yard was a big dip and water would collect in that and stay there for days. I dug a small channel from the "lake" area to the side of my house where it would drain down. I fixed it over time by putting down mulch/dirt and eventually plants. I have a banana tree near the edge of where it was so in the summer when monsoons start, it still pools a little there, but the banana gets a ton of water and it loves it. The water is gone much faster now and the channel has long been filled in. The yard still has a little dip to it in that area but the mulch that went into the soil made the water drain much faster into the ground and it's usually dry a few hours after a big rain now. The plants do really well in that area too. Looking back, I think the fastest way to fix it is just get a lot of mulch and dump it in the area.. I think the channel was more work than necessary. Spread the mulch around and dig it into the soil, then put more over it and just let it sit. Another option would be to put down grass, but I don't like grass much so I wouldn't do that in my yard.