Mystery Shrub

Hi All

My first post!

I have moved into a new house and it comes equipped with a very large, overgrown and poorly maintained shrubbery. I'm trying to gain control of the shrubbery again by heavy cutting back.

Much of the centre of the shrubbery is made up by the following mystery shrub there are 3 bushes which are all 8 -10 feet tall. The leaves are just starting to go. Under the leaf canopy there are trunks and branches (rather than a mass of stems).

Can anyone tell me what it is? And just as importantly how hard I can cut it back without doing damage?

Thanks in advance...

Pic 1: Close up of the leaves


Pic 2: Leaves again, but more far away

 

Wow, thanks for the quick reply. I've checked wiki and I don't think it is the Prunus lucitanica as the prunus has very glossy leaves and is evergreen.

I should have mentioned... I've not noticed any flowers, berries, etc. on the plant all year.

 

It has an eleagnus look about it. There are deciduous eleagnus around, but they usually bloom and berry a lot, so I am really not sure.

See this:
http://images.google.it/imgres?imgu...q=eleagnus+umbellata&um=1&hl=it&safe=off&sa=N

 

It looks to me like a Cotinus or Smoke Bush.:thumb:

 

Definitely not a smoke bush... I think I would prefer one of those... looks more interesting than my bush!

 

Could be an eleagnus as there seems to be quite a lot of variability in this species. I'm not 100% sure though.

 

Thanks

I would go with this as the leaves look almost identicle to the laurustinus pics on the web. The only thing is that the plants are currently dropping their leaves for winter. I'm going to ask my neighbour if I have missed it flowering. I've been in the house a while and had a very hectic time... perhaps I just missed the flowers.:cnfs:

 

Hi All

An update that might help with a positive ID. Thank you so much for the help so far.

The plant has just started to show some flowers. They are very small. White, about 1cm long and 5mm wide. They have 4 petals and 4 stamen. Please see the picks. The shrub is still holding it's leaves.

Here are the pics...

1.


2.


3.

 

Are they heavily scented? It is eleagnus. I don't know why it is dropping it's leaves though.

 

I think you are right with the eleagnus. I've done some googling and found a picture of Elaeagnus glabra which has identical flowers. I think the leaves are falling as it is in a poor state. You guys are awesome. I'm going to give them some TLC an hope they come right. They also need some hard pruning.

Thanks a million!!!!!!!

 

They are very hardy 2lap and you can prune them fairly hard. I'd leave them to early spring now though. When you have nurtured them and they flower you will be amazed at the perfume that fills the air from those tiny little flowers.:luv: