Before construction began in 2019 I hired a person with a tractor to mow the entire property so the construction crew would have a clean slate. But last summer, and again this summer, I let most of the property grow wild. Some of the plants are now taller than I am! When I landscape next year I plan to leave the backyard as a meadow, and as a first step I would like to know what is already growing there. Using Google Lens to identify plants, so far I have found four invasive plants (scotch broom, Himalayan blackberries, holly, and herb Robert), seven medicinal plants (echinacea, stinging nettle, feverfew, milk thistle, spearmint, self-heal, and sheep’s sorrel), and many other plants. My favorites so far are evening campion (lower left in the photo), milk thistle (center bottom of the photo), and blue flag iris (lower right in the photo).
