You said the previous owner had a passion for gardening. Hope she had both flower and vegetable gardens.
You miss your lilacs. Why? They grow well in Alabama. Both the bush and the perinnial.
Welcome to the forum.

dear mollie,i hope you find many 'treasures' that the former owner planted.happy gardening and welcome again.

Hi "Jayhawk"! ;-)

Hello Mollie, and "Welcome!" to the Alabama Forum. Keep a eye out for the fall plant swap on the exchange forum - we'd love to meet you.

Nelson

Your new home sounds wonderful. Our daughter had a similar experience and we've both benefitted from the former owner's garden.

One caveat: I hope your syacmore tree isn't close to the house or in the front yard. We had one (recommended by a local "landscaper") in our front yard and I finally had it cut down. It grew FAST, but the wood was week and one very big limb broke off -- fortunately into the street. The leaves were big, curled sails that blew all over the neighborhood all summer long and drove everyone crazy. Sycamores are beautiful at the edge of a wooded area away from the house, but they're not good yard trees in my experience.

{{gwi:365476}}
and the AL Forum

Here is a link that might be useful: Name That Plant Forum

Hi Mollie,
Welcome to the Alabama Gardening Forum. You are going to have so much fun with your new garden! My daughter purchased an older home last winter, to renovate for her new daycare center, and we have found so many wonderful plants there this spring and summer. The original owners were quite wealthy, and loved gardening. They had a full time gardener who lived on the property. The gardens were always beautiful, but of course, they had become overgrown since the couple passed away. But, we have slowly but surely been getting them back in shape, and they are again becoming a showplace. Enjoy your new garden, and I for one, will love to help you identify your new plants.
Jan

Mollie,how the time flies. Hope your move to new surroundings went well. For me, moving has never been an enjoyable experience.
Can only imagine the popup surprises that you would find from time to time. Drop down surprises can also be a pleasant surprise also, referring to the Shag-bark Hickory. Hickory nuts makes the 'bestest' Banana Nut Bread ever. I envy your wonderful trees. Hope your still out there enjoying your NEW NEST. joseph

Mollie: We'd love to hear what you've found so far during your treasure hunt in your new-to-you garden. It's always fun to see what pops up in an inherited garden.