Bill Oliver wrote:

Thanks for the advice. Yes, I am looking for something to line a
driveway, but am also looking for creative ways of making relatively
high sight borders to separate small areas of the yard.

Lots of similarities between our situations Bill, right down to the
spouse who is reactive to poison ivy and the background in biology
(mine's molec. genetics, actually) and medicine. Of course, your yard
sounds a whole lot more interesting than mine, especially with the
interesting ruins. Perhaps you can learn from some of my experiences,
especially the mistakes.

Brush clearing is a slow, difficult, and painstaking process, unless you
enlist help. Every year, I go around and start cutting down the stuff
closest to the clearing. If you can get a mower in there at that point,
it is easy to maintain control. Otherwise, it becomes an ongoing
battle. The one exception to this approach has been what I've done with
the vines that were strangling the trees. Some of these things were a
good 50 or 60 ft. tall with trunks as big around as my arm, and they had
to go so the trees could be salvaged. Although I am not a big fan of
herbicides, I've resorted to them, in order to keep the vines from
regrowing as if nothing has happened. After 4 years of doing this, it
still looks like a jungle in there, but it is becoming more passable.
Unless you are really handy with the chainsaw, get someone to come in
and take out the dead/diseased trees. You'll have a better sense of how
much space you're dealing with.

Although I have approached gardening on this property in a piecemeal
fashion, my one regret is that I didn't get around to putting in the
backbones (trees and shrubs) sooner. I am just now getting to it, after
4 years of being here and of course, doing this while brood X is about
to emerge may not be the smartest idea. I am holding out on some of the
major ornamental trees, and probably won't plant them until after the
cicadas are gone, or maybe next year. Although the brush you have is
supporting a lot of wildlife, you can add ornamental shrubs that will
also be able to support them, and won't attempt to run away with the
property. Have a master plan in mind, and work towards putting in all
the high impact elements first. Your plan will most likely evolve, but
if your initial choices are well researched, you will still be able to
work with/around them.

Take time to do things right. Amend the soil if you have to, for your
perennial beds (if any). It may mean that you won't do much by the way
of planting this year, but you won't regret it later.

Good luck,
Suja