Maybe the deer that are most common east of the Mississippi are more agile than those in the West. Here, if the intent is to use ordinary fencing to protect against deer damage, it's recommended that the fence be at least 6 ft tall, preferably taller. For a number of years now, farmers and other rural residents in this area have constructed anti-deer fences that slant at a 45 degree angle. It's a design that's effective because, while deer can jump quite high and can jump considerable distances, they're apparently unable to execute jumps that simultaneously attain height AND cover distance. I'm linking to a WVU release on slanted fences with specs for building one. Obviously, slanted fences aren't a practical solution for most, but they're interesting as an example of the extreme measures taken by some to control an ongoing problem. Here is a link that might be useful: Slanted Fences

Scott, I'm not sure about the 235, but my 225 did not come with an hour meter. I had to install it (even though the cutout was there in the frame). Just because it shows less than 100 hours doesn't mean it was installed since new. Also, even if it were, they're pretty easy to replace. While "rolling back" a car's odometer will get you in hot water, I don't think the sheriff cares much about guys selling lawn mowers with bogus hours. That being said, check other things for signs of wear. With less than 100 hours, they should both be in like new condition. The only wear you should see is some paint scraped off the sides of the deck. If you see excessive wear on the tires, pedals, seat, lots of play in the steering, noisy deck bearings, etc, those are some things that might make you question the low hours claim. If you decide that both tractors do in fact have less than 100 hours, and move on from comparing the condition of the tractors to the features of the tractors, it's a no-brainer, the GT is an upgrade. The tractors handle and operate identically, with twin-touch pedals and a manual lift deck. Does the LX have the foot pedal lift? You might prefer than over the hand lever. As far as cutting grass goes, you won't really notice a difference. But if you ever want to branch out from there, the GT235 is a real garden tractor, which is basically a miniature farm tractor. While the LX is one of the more rugged lawn tractors, capable of pushing a snow blade, it's still just a lawn tractor. You'll never use sleeve-hitch attachments (plow, disc harrow, cultivator, planter, blade, box blade, rake) or a tiller (which are cheap on eBay). And if you tow a cart full of firewood, soil, mulch, whatever, you'll need to take it easy on the transmission.

Sorry if I came off as so negative with my advice, certainly you have gained a wealth of personal experience that has now elevated you from a "newbie" gardenener to one more experienced with the trials and tribulations of invasive weeds, and poor winter drainage. A bit more about using Roundup in case you didn't know: 1. Works best when bermuda grass has not been cut back, but is full and lots of surface foliage 2. Apply when bermuda grass is in active growth(usually once it has hit 75F temps for a couple of weeks 3. Roundup works best when you have consistent warm weather so that it actively gets translocated to the roots 4. When bermuda grass is invading from the neighbors gardens, you need to do regular weed patrol to keep on top of runners that spring up from under the fence, probably at least every couple of weeks About the annual bluegrass: 1. If you are planting out small seedlings that can't effectively compete with weeds, try cutting an 18 square of weed fabric and pinning down at the edges around any new seedlings, this is what is typically done with revegeatation seedlings/trees planted out in grasslands, they need help creating a clear zone so that they can get large enough to compete with the weeds/grasses 2. Mulching deeply to keep bare soil from being exposed greatly helps with inhibiting weed seeds that need light to germinate, such as the annual blue grass 3. If you are trying to reseed poppies and other wildflowers, you can keep smaller areas weedfree and scatter saved seed, but will need to be vigilant about weeding seedlings of weeds as they come up Watering new plantings; 1. Standing with the hose and giving things a splash of water just isn't enough with valley heat and small seedlings with their limited roots 2. Better to give things a really good soak twice a day if starting seedlings when the weather is still hot, and use mulch to minimize soil evaporation 3. You might consider creating temporary shade structures using bamboo stakes and shade cloth if you can't resist starting seedlings outside the ideal fall planting window 4. Ideal time to plant out small sized native species is in the fall, once it starts to cool off enough in your area that you won't be getting any more 75F and above days, this makes a huge difference in heat and water stress for small plants Drainage issues 1. You are absolutely right that if you didn't know how poorly drained your intended garden was going to be, you wouldn't have known that it would be a problem. 2. You now know that it may be worth investigating first before you start planting; ie, look to see if there are rain gutters or downspouts off the roof, where they drain, if there is enough slope to the ground that water can drain away, etc. It may also be helpful to ask the neighbors, landlord, former tenants, when you have a chance to do so, if there are any drainage problems with the site Weeds; 1. You now have the experience to be a better judge of whether your intended garden area is surrounded by weeds, and if so, you now also know that it is always a good idea to try and get rid of the stored seed bank before you start planting 2. Getting rid of entrenched weeds may mean using Roundup at the right time of year to effectively kill them(and use the full strength applications and repeat usage after clearing away killed weeds, watering for at least a couple of weeks to initiate new growth, wait until weed regrowth is at least a couple of inches and spray again. You may need to do this 3 or 4 times over 3 to 4 months to get rid of all the weeds. 3. It may be useful to cultivate/disturb the soil several times to expose weed seeds to light, hoe them off or spray with herbicide, and repeat several times if you suspect you have a real weed problem. This could even mean that you don't plant your garden until 3 to 4 months of weed treatment. Dogs and new plants 1. it may be preaching to the choir, but small plants and dogs who aren't trained to be careful around small plants, or don't get enough walks/excercise to keep from being bored when left alone all day, are not a good mix with new plantings, especially at small vulnerable sizes. It only makes sense to give the plants some protection from dogs if you can't mitigate their behavior, dogs will do what dogs want to do without work on your part. Maybe I have just been lucky with the dogs I have owned, but I started training them very young to be careful around the garden, and not destroy young or old plants. I also had the time to take them on long walks every day, and burn off all that excess energy, which is important when you have a labrador retriever. Now if I could just train the raccoons not to damage plants in my garden.. You have gotten some valuable experience in gardening by the "trial by fire" method, but it can also be useful to ask questions when you aren't clear on the methods, take classes, and keep reading up. Obviously there isn't just one way to garden, and I certainly don't claim to know all the answers, but over 40 years of gardening, over 30 years of them professionally, mean that I do have a very good handle on how to handle weeds, drainage, soil amendmending, etc to fit within the budgets and efforts of my clients, and can tailor solutions that will work within different circumstances. It is always about tradeoffs, and I am not against using weedcloth as a first line of defense to be set underneath deep mulch when I can't eliminate the weeds in the first place, it has been my only workable method to minimize bermuda grass and Oxalis pes-capri infestations when I didn't have the time or budgets necessary to really control them before new landscape plantings.

I'm late to the party in responding to the original post. My 2 cents: Indian pinks (Spigelia marilandica). They're very well-behaved...although I've heard they can self sow if they ever go to seed. Unfortunately, they're one of the favorite plants for rabbits in my area, which means I haven't seen them even bloom recently much less self-sow. Still, they're tough enough to keep coming up from getting nibbled down to the nubs, so that's impressive. And the foliage is pretty on its own. Oakleaf hydrangeas are marvelous, but I do think they prefer mostly shady spots (forest understory, etc.) I have one in full morning sun in TN that is hanging in there, but it does look stressed from mid-summer onwards. For the shady area, how about an Epimedium? It takes a little while to get started, but it seems bulletproof and mostly evergreen once it's established and has attractive delicate flowers in the spring. Spreads, but at a very manageable rate (or has so far). For a sunnier spot, what about Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb'? http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c270