Japanese plum trees, okra and tomatoes.

[tallyho8]

Many years ago as I was growing up you could not go a block without seeing a Japanese plum tree, a celeste fig tree, or a cooking pear tree (all local names) in someone's front yard. In the back yard they had a mirliton vine and a blackberry bush in the far corner. If they liked gardening, they would grow tomatoes and okra.

These were all local varieties that grew extremely well in our area. As urbanization creeped in, the new homes have palm trees and designer bushes that I have never heard of.

What type of yard plants were in your neighborhoods as you grew up that probably aren't there any more? (not talking about 2000 acre corn fields)

 

[Alan W.]

Everyone had a garden. Not just a little patch but a good sized garden.
Usually some fruit trees and a small strawberry patch.
Most of them now hire their yards mowed and only go outside to get in their suv.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Big garden, peach orchards; and some pear trees left over from the early settlers.

 

[Oaktree]

Quite a few around here still have gardens and chickens. My grandmother had gooseberry bushes, haven't seen them anywhere since the 60s.
As far as the neighborhood I grew up in, most of the small family farms have long since been subdivided and/or reverted to forest when what would be my grandparents' generation died off. Most of that happened 50+ years ago though...not much has changed since then. As with so many old New England mill towns, the last 40 years have not been good to my hometown.

 

[bigtiller]

Just in my neighborhood as a kid, there were several kinds of apple trees, pear tree cherry tree, grapes, ferns, hosta, peonies and mums. Nearly every house had a garden with tomatoes, bell peppers, beans and peas.