Alright, so here's the plan. In the backyard, there is a section with a bunch of small trees along my back hill. Most of them are dead, and they look bad. I'm planning on hacking them down, cleaning out the underbrush, and seeding the area. So, what I'm wondering, is if anybody has ideas of anything to put in the area (shrubs, ect, whatever) Oh, and yes, I do know that fall is not the time of year one typically does yard work and landscaping, but it is a great time to take out take out the trees and underbrush to get it ready for next spring.

Here's some pictures showing an overview of the area, and the area in question. First, an overview of the area. I took 3 pictures, and put them together in autostitch- garden is off to the right, area in question is off to the left-
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/webmastercharlie/pano-2.jpg

The garden area-
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/webmastercharlie/IMG_1334.jpg

Looking down path, area in question is on the right half of the path.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/webmastercharlie/IMG_1335.jpg


A little closer, looking at area in question-
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/webmastercharlie/IMG_1336.jpg

Looking down hill-
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/webmastercharlie/IMG_1337.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/webmastercharlie/IMG_1338.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m126/webmastercharlie/IMG_1339.jpg


The trees I will be taking down are the small scraggly ones. You can see some pine trees that have been planted there, I'm working on building a nice row of them, but they like to die on me. The deer like to munch.

There's a maple tree or two in the bunch, those will be staying, but everything else will be going down.

Any suggestions on what to do with the area other than just seeding it and making a grassy patch? Also, anybody have any tips on things I can do this fall to help the grass grow well next spring?

You could spend anywhere from $0 to $50,000 on a job like that. What's your budget, how much work can you do yourself, is there any drainage issue, and how much sun dies that area get?

Personally I'd think about a gravel path to a flat spot or even small deck there,
with a simple gazebo or arbor, and a porch swing.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/519T29Y8V4L._SL500_AA280_.jpg

Then I'd go for some easy to care for low growing shrubs such as burning bush (Euonymus alata "Compactus") which has spectacular fall color and beyond that instead of grass, sow seeds of native wildflowers in spring for a nice peaceful meadow look.

I like that what you have now blocks the view of the road. I would try to leave that in place and plant something new in front or behind. Wait until the new stuff grows enough to block the view of the road, and then take down the old stuff...