Well, I haven't finished yet. I was focusing mainly on the interior of the house but now I've done some planting.
When I moved in the yard had several small oaks along the back fence line. There were also two Crookedwood trees (I wasn't sure what these were until recently when the flowers bloomed). I tried transplanting a small one that seemed to be growing off a runner from one of them without success. I also already had Beauty Berry, Ferns, Maple, and Blackberries along the back fence as well. I have planted some Pinta, Milkweed, Salvia, and a few others I got from my mom's yard as she used to be a member of FNPS.
The previously owner put in a bunch of small Canfer trees. I hate to tear them up but they are so close to the house I think they are going to be a pain eventually. And they don't seem to be doing great now anyway (my yard is very dry as I already mentioned).
I wanted to start planting some trees but have some questions first. Which are the most drought tolerant and which are the most hurricane tolerant? If anyone has feedback on these two points I'm mainly considering oaks or pines. There is a small stand of pines on the property behind me. And I was thinking of possibly planting 3 more in my backyard and another oak in the front. A friend who is an envirnmental consultant said my yard is remnant sandhill scrub. I've seen some Sandhill cranes at and on my way to work. Maybe they'll come visit sometime.