Just a running list of what I can remember is in the ground out there, for posterity:
Found in the yard:
• Monkey grass (which is volunteering everywhere)
• Spring star flowers (also super eager to volunteer)
• Columbine
• Bamboo (largely uprooted and saved for potting)
• Rhododendron/azaleas
• Hydrangeas
• English ivy
• Thrift
• Rose of Sharon
• Vincas (purple)
• Daffodils
• Dianthus
• Nandina
• Volunteer dogwood trees
• Crepe myrtles
• Red surprise lilies (originally mistook this for monkey grass until I dug up bulbs)
• Aucuba (thanks, Lesley and saraclark!)
Creeping over neighbor fences:
• Pecan tree
• Rose bush (not sure what kind just yet)
• Honeysuckle (yellow/white, probably)
• Carolina jasmine
I planted/potted:
• Narcissus
• Cannas
• Dahlias (clump and dinner-plate varieties)
• Hollyhocks
• Alyssum (seeds don’t seem to have germinated after a month, so I’m thinking of reusing that pot)
• Hosta (three varieties)
• Oakleaf hydrangea
• Pansies
• Snapdragons
• Stargazer lilies
• White/yellow surprise lilies
• Hyacinths (purple and white)
• Bleeding heart
• Tiger lilies
• Redbud tree
• Rose of Sharon sprig
• Rain tree
Edited to add:
• Gerber daisies (orange, yellow, hot pink)
• Impatiens
• Maroon and white Asiatic lily
• Deep red blanket flowers
What’s fun about where you are is that just about every house near you was built around the same time and people planted the same things. My yard on Rosedale was AMAZING with all these old, hearty species. You just can’t get ’em like that any more. I had those red spider suprise lillies, too. Loved them. And that splotchy thing? Probably an aucuba.
Is the zoo still buying bamboo for the pandas?
I had a neighbor with a spectacular pecan. Don’t know where it was, but in the late summer, I’d take my shoes off and walk around in the yard to find where the squirrels had hidden them and pick them up, crack them and eat them. I could really count on those squirrels to pick and steal some good ones for me. They were always nearly two inches long and delicious.
Look up the alyssum; if I remember correctly, they don’t sprout until the NEXT season. Which is why I never planted any. Too impatient.
The only thing that volunteers more than monkey grass is Rose of Sharon. They pop up everywhere.
If the leaves look like they have yellow freckles all over the green leaves-Aucuba like Lesley said. I am so jealous of all your cool stuff.
Damn, woman! That is one hell of an undertaking. I’m sure it will be a lot of mildly hard, really fun work. I can’t wait til we move into our house so I can give you a run for your money!
@Lesley
You know, I don’t know about the bamboo. I should check into that. i LOVE your pecan story, by the way. That sounds like a delicious short story. I think I totally screwed up the alyssum. I’m impatient and repotted it with something else. The little instructions didn’t mention a year delay. Boo! I can handle volunteer hibiscus. Those things are super photogenic. And YES YES you are so right about these hearty old species in the neighborhood. I feel so fortunate to not have to start a flower/shrub garden from scratch. I’ve got decades of work behind me already. So fortunate.
@saraclark
Don’t get jealous until I have proven I won’t kill everything! :-P
@Tamara
Honestly, I haven’t done much at all. So much was already here, and the stuff that was planted was spearheaded by Mom and Grandmaw. I’m just the waterer, really. I’ve done some additional planting but I swear I just assume it’s all gonna wither and die. We’ll see. I want so badly to just have a natural green thumb but I might actually have to learn some stuff first. :) AND YES, I can’t wait for you to start your own garden too! We are going to exchange gardening secrets until we are little old biddies. And I love that thought.