Hi Sasha,

Here are some of my guesses. I am thinking also that some of these are not current photos, that some were maybe taken a couple of months ago?

5a/5b = Magnolia
6a/6b = Dogwood
7 = weed
11 = lupine
12b = weed called creeping charlie or ground ivy
18 = purple coneflower
20 = peony

If 14a/14b were flowering like that in the spring, rather than right now, and smelled really good, then I think it is probably either Russian olive or autumn olive.

Here's a direct link to squasha's album for anyone who doesn't want to cut-n-paste.

Hope this helps.

Alison

Here is a link that might be useful: Direct link to squasha's album

#2 Salix integra (possibly variegated 'Hakuro Nishiki'),
#14 Heptacodium miconioides aka Seven son flowers. I'm 99% sure that it is, but if bark is peeling that would be 100% ID,
#15 Cherry (one of the many kinds. Wait till spring and post picture in a bloom),
#17 Phlox paniculata,
#18 Echinacea (Coneflower),
#20 Peony (definitely look sorrow either to luck of sun or too deep planting. Now is the perfect time to move it),
#21 Sedum?

Also,
#5 looks like Magnolia stellata (if it blooms in early spring before foliage emerges then it is a Star magnolia)
and #6 very well could be a peach or plum tree.

#3 - new england aster
#4 - ribbon grass
# 17 - Phlox paniculata (tall garden phlox)

Well, I'm really bad at this, but if everyone promises not to laugh at me, I'll give it a shot.

#2 - salix
#3 - aster
#8 - tiarella??
#11 - sweet woodruff (galium)
#17 phlox
#18 echinacea

:)
Dee

Squasha -
Let's see:
#1 - An Artemesia; lovely grey-foliage perennial. May be a named cultivar, which I'd have to see more of. Nice with plants in the dark foliage category and purple flowering plants would be nice near these too.
#2 - Could be a salix species, but I rather think it's either a St. John's Wort (Hypericum) or a Euphorbia, a Spurge.
#3 - definitely some species of Aster. The native New England Aster, Aster laevis, I think.
#4 - Definitely Ribbon Grass,Phalaris arundinacea. Did you find this growing in a "moist" site, as they love these areas and thrive?
#5 - Is definitely a Magnolia sp. You will find out in the coming Spring when it flowers. You might bring the leaf, flower and photo in to see if the folks at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, can't ID it for you, if you're still having trouble then, but I think we all can help!
#6 - This tree may be a Cherry of some kind, a Prunus. But more than likely it is a Peach tree of some variety. The fall color will tell. It should be gorgeous against your grey shake!
#7 - I'd WAIT on chucking out the "weed" that DaWiff mentioned above. This may be Indigofera, though I've never seen a white-flowering one (if those are the flowers from the plant). I would need more of a view of it. Looks like you took the shot from the top? Not a weed though, I think.
#8 - Stumped
#9 - If this is Bittersweet, as you suggest, then it will lose it's leaves shortly and you will see the orange berries. Then remove!!!!
#10 - It's a beautiful old dogwood, a Cornus floridus. Looks like it may have anthracnose, a disease that can kill and/or devastate them. It's disease that really began to be noticed in the 70's, I think and never really dealt with by the Hort. Community till the early 90's. There are ways to improve the trees life, but it's slow. First a good pruning, but only 1/3 per year, to give it some breathing room (as this is what exacerbates its condition). You'll see it condition and the color of its flowers this coming Spring06.
#11 - I think as DiggerDee does - it's Galium odoratum, or Sweet Woodruff (fun background on this plant if you search it's history...)
#12 - Does this groundcover smell of sweet mint when you crush its leaves? I think it is also NOT a weed but a lovely plant in the Nepeta, or Catmint Family. This NOT the weed called ground catmint, as the leaves do not look alike. The powdery-blue color of the leaves and then the scent may tell all. I'd wait till the mini blue-purple flowers full that bed in the Spring06, as well.
#13 - Absolutely Campsis radicans, or Trumpet Creeper. WATCH THIS, as it can GO, go, go! Severe cutting back will not hurt it. Therre is also a lovely yellow flowering one.
#14 - Yes, I like EGO45 think it is a Heptacodium. You'll know more, most probably now when it's jasmine-scented flowers have fallen, the leaves turn a lovely red, and the
calyx (he whorl of sepals of a flower collectively forming the outer floral envelope or layer of the perianth enclosing and supporting the developing bud) turn a deep burgundy red staying through Fall. A glorious tree!! I'd love one myself!!!
#15 - Like #6 another Prunus. I agree and Spring will tell...
#16 - Yikes. Looks like possibly another Cornus sp. AND possibly a Kolkwitzia amabalis or Beautybush when in about April will have tons of white to light pink snapdragon-like flowers. Juries out though on this one...need more visuals. Were those seedpods in the close-up shot? Would be a great ID point.
#17 - Yep, Phlox paniculata.
#18 - Echinacea purpurea
#19 - Don't quote me, but it might be an old apple tree. Any signs on the ground? Again, blossoms in the late spring.
#20 - Peony, yes most likely. I'd carefully move it (good time right now) by digging out around it as to not disturb the swollen root base (looks like a dirt-covered hot dog!); looks like things have overgrown it and sunlight is almost gone for it.
#21 - Does look like a sedum, but there's hardly enough light (need lot of sunlight to bloom voraciously) with what the ivy being there to have it be one. Are the leaves squishy, as in a succulent, and is it blooming with a clustered light-rusty colored flower panicle now?
best I can do. Do keep us posted, either personally or here in your great thread.
What mind-teasers these are. Thank you for the jolt.
Best,
PP

7 Looks like hairy vetch or similar to me- a weed in my book.

Hi,
Number 8 looks like a cranesbill to me, or perennial geranium....

Hey everybody,

Thanks SO much for helping me with my mystery plants. I have now labeled all the photos with the various "guesses" and I am hoping we can start to weed out (ha ha) the ones that aren't right. Have a look:

http://www.cuchicuchi.net/garden/garden.html

I also have some specific questions about some the plants I have:

1. The Salix integra has needed virtually no attention all year but two days ago the leaves looked quite dry so I watered it. Well I woke up this morning and found all the leaves completely shriveled! I have since brought it inside thinking maybe that one cold night we recently had may have been the problem Though it never got down to freezing... Any ideas? Will it come back? Also, can I plant it outside at this point? Or is it too close to winter? Should I keep it inside all winter?

2. I have a HUGE rose bush packed in amonst some other evergreeens and other bushes. Some of the shoots (canes?) are 8-10 feel long. Can I cut all that back? Is this a bad time of year to do it?

1. Salix (willow) need no care whatsoever except watering... and it takes a lot of water, believe me.
I don't know for how long yours was in a pot, but could only guess that roots become extremely pot bound and plant is dying due to self-suffocation/strangulation AND luck of water.
If it's a salix, indeed, it could be easily overwintered in pot outdoor in z5.
2. Roses best to be pruned in spring, not in a fall.
You don't want to encourage new growth so late in a season.

BTW, you may safely remove 'dogwood' guess from #6. It's not a dogwood, guaranteed. Look at the bark in #6a and at fruits in #6b and you'll have no doubts either.
This tree is definitely from Prunus family, very likely prunus persica. Check the fruits and if they have hairy surface then it's a peach, if not, it's a plum. In any event it's a nice looking tree.

squasha -
So glad to be of some help. Though EGO45 is not convinced that #6 is a dogwood (and neither am I), I'm not in the camp of thinking that #2 is a salix (willow), but this too (if it stays alive) you will know in spring when you see the signature catkins.
As to the rose, leave it till spring (maybe lightly prune some of the "evergreens and other bushes" to let in some sunlight?), then prune the rose when the forsythia is in bloom, next spring. Boy, you will be busy.
Best,
PP

Am I the only one who thinks 14 could be Eupatorium? Maybe Chocolate?

Well, the problem is that from the quick web search I did, it looks like Eupatorium is a plant or maybe bush. My #14 is a full grown tree. 14a shows the tree from a distance and 14b is just a close up of the flowers on the top of the tree.

The flowers smell amazing by the way if that helps in the id...

PPennypacker,
re: #2. This is definitely not Euphorbia (spurge) as it is clearly have a woody structure. Also, I don't think this is a Hypericum either since leaves are too far apart, too narrow and long for hypericum of any kind and no sign of flowers/fruits are present (which might be due to the luck of sun).
Contrary to the above, since original poster is from z5a, it DOES make sense to grow hypericum in clay pot and bring it in protected place for a winter, while salix in a clay pot with its hardiness and proportions seems like a strange proposition. Well, we all do strange things. :-))

George,

I have my salix Hakuro Nishiki in a large pot on my patio, which I bring in for the winter. Do you think it's not good to leave it in a pot? BTW, my salix has never produced catkins - is it supposed to?

(Sorry Sasha, for the detour!)

:)
Dee

My HN didn't produced catkins for three years I have it, either, but catkins productions generaly depends on amount of late winter-early spring sun plant gets and on age of it. In any event catkins on HN is not that ornamental, foliage is.
About growing it in a pot I don't think this is a very good idea for two reasons, first, as all pot grown plants it need more frequent watering than inground. In case of salix that is always thirsty by definition, you are looking for extra work. Second, when you'll try to repot it, you'll see how much of the root mass is in your pot and how tangled it is. Not to say that it can't be grown in a LARGE pot, but it will be much happier in a ground. Grafted tree form maybe, but not a shrub.
Even if you decide to still grow it in a pot, it's absolutely unnecessary to bring it in for the winter as it's hardy to z4.
Interesting link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hakuro Nishiki

I only see a couple, but 9 does look like bittersweet. You will definitely know when it berries like Penny says. I think 10 looks like some sort of dogwood, but I was thinking either grey or silky. Does it have any berries on it? It is hard to tell the size. I think 16b looks like dogwood leaves, but the way they are situated on the branches doesn't scream dogwood to me. Hmmm

Nicely put together album for your query, squasha! It looks like a previous owner was an avid gardener, so I"d be careful diffing because there may be some fine plants hiding out there.

16 looks like weigela.
9 is definitely bittersweet, I'd know it anywhere!
11 looks more like gallium than lupine, foliage is very fine.

#2 I think is Eurphobia
#11 sweet woodrift
#12 maybe some kind of veronica. I have a little weed like that I like it because it's cute and not invasive.
#8 looks like some kind of Mallow or Malva to me not a geranium. How tall is that plant?
The one that someone called a sedum? Did it flower at all this summer? If it didn't it's a weed, not a bad looking weed.

Hi squasha.

I think several of us agree that #9 IS Bittersweet. But I would never wait to see if it gets berries. I would
PULL IT NOW! If you wait until it get berries it's too late. Bittersweet is so very invasive that you should not take a chance with it. Yank it! Be very careful with it. Make sure you get all the root. Even if you think you got it all...check and re-check for it next year. It will climb up and pull down anything it can get to.
Good Luck.

Sooey

14 is Heptacodium miconioides .

ALso agree that 16 is a cornus. not sure what kind though. maybe kousa.

10b is anthracnose

Fun game.