florauk, I think you are right about it being Oriental Poppy foliage as this section was part of the Poppies field. The Iceland Poppies (Papaver nudicaule) beside it was already in bloom then.

So it sprung back to life this afternoon. Brought the plant inside and gave it some water. It seems to be doing better indoors. I will slowly acclimate it to the outdoor garden. This post was edited by siddique on Mon, Jul 28, 14 at 21:00

Sorry for the delay in responding. I thought I'd get an email when someone posted. I looked at the plants suggested. My mom said the closes one is the rubber tree. I found a pic of a Castilla elastica leaf that she said would look like the plant she saw if the leaf was smaller. [http://www.hear.org/pier/imagepages/singles/caelap14.htm] I'm not sure if this plant was bought in a store. It's more likely someone went looking for the plant, dug it up and brought it home. My mom said she suspected the person who gave it to them knew about the plant and that's the reason they past the plant to them. My aunt thinks there is a picture of the plant (they thought it was a nice looking plant and had original intended to keep it) and she's looking for it. I'll post it if it's found.

~~ Agree. 'Rose Glow' barberry is one of the larger growing forms and in my zone 8/9 climate, a mature one is easily 6' tall and wide, sometimes bigger and with a fountaining habit that is NOT enhanced by pruning!!. Perhaps the landscaper intended for the Mexican hair grass to be removed down the road to allow for the barberry growth. And even if he didn't, I would, as it reseeds like a maniac and is borderline invasive in my area!!