Blank slate. Help!

[Saraalpha]

Hello! We recently fenced in our backyard and now have a well defined space to plant. We layed mulch yesterday and are trying to decide what to plant along the back.
We are in SW Virginia. The area gets lots of sun. We would like to discourage deer and mosquitos. I'm considering trees, bushes and plants. Want to make it colorful and interesting. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Saraalpha]

It's about 5 ft wide.

 

[oneeye]

That looks like it could be on a big slope and is not level?

 

[Saraalpha]

Correct. Definitely on a slope.

 

[oneeye]

Serviceberry (Amelanchier x grandiflora) ...
Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) 'Rising Sun' ...
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) ...
Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) ...
Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia 'Hummingbird')

 

[Saraalpha]

Thank you so much! Great ideas. I can't wait to check these out.

 

[LouisFerdinand]

For flowers try tall Snapdragons.

 

[connieyiu22]

I love planting trees and bushes that produce fruit/vegetables in an open space. Here's a picture of our citrus grove for inspiration. We have yellow grapefruits, oranges, and meyer lemons. Also, they make for great activity with kids for fruit picking.

 

[The Preserver]

Hello! We recently fenced in our backyard and now have a well defined space to plant. We layed mulch yesterday and are trying to decide what to plant along the back.
We are in SW Virginia. The area gets lots of sun. We would like to discourage deer and mosquitos. I'm considering trees, bushes and plants. Want to make it colorful and interesting. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!

What's the elevation of your locale and soil characteristics of the site? This would be useful information for giving recommendations.