So what type of volunteers have you had sprout up in your yard, and I do not mean the two- or four-footed varieties! I’ve been lucky enough to have a fig tree pop up as well as a native Toyon and an unknown palm.
The fig popped up on a slope in the back yard sometime in 2016, I’m glad I didn’t yank it when I first saw it: It’s pretty leggy at the moment. No idea if I’ll win the lottery and get a tasty productive tree out of it, but if nothing else it may prove to be a good root stock for future grafting efforts.
I think this is a Toyon, or Christmas Berry (Heteromeles arbutifolia). I’ve had a number pop up in the back yard, one is trying to get big, but I keep it cut back so it won’t crowd my Mission fig tree. This one I intend to put in the front yard when I get around to yanking out all the grass. I’d like to put mostly natives in the front. The back will be for fruit trees!
And the unknown palm. It sprouted near one of my apple trees in a not very good location. I’ll let it get big and then probably give it away to a neighbor. I’m somewhat curious as to what type it is, there are a ton of different ones in the neighborhood, so I’ll let it get a bit bigger before I give it away.
From time to time I dig up a seedling and pot it up. Currently impressed with a wild magnolia grandiflora I found about 2 inches tall a couple years ago.
All my volunteers are from stuff I have planted. Ton’s of blackberries and raspberries, a fig tree (strange, I’m in Michigan!) Ton’s of different annual flowers come up every year, ground cherries, chives, peppers, and tomatoes.
I was going to say the same thing - lots of black walnut. You almost have to dig them up to get rid of them. We have a massive black walnut tree on our property.
That second photo looks like Laurel Sumac, not Toyon. The leaf shape isn’t right. Toyon leaves look like a holly leaf. I had the childhood chore of hacking both of these bushes armed with a machete to clear my parents land.
I had multiple gooseberries and black currant. Also concord grape is now “planted” all over my neighborhood - I believe form the plant I started near the road. Also alpine strawberries are popping up every year here and there, thanks to birds and chipmunks.
