Identification please

Hi fellow gardeners - any chance anyone can work out what this is? It's a lovely shrub/small tree that is sitting exactly in the wrong place for when we put the patio in this summer! :(

They are evergreens with green leaves tended to yellow around the edges and underside. We have two of them either side of an old tree, and we would love to save them (and the tree too, but that's a different post! )! If anyone has info, it's much appreciated! :D

Here's the full view:



and the close up of the leaves



Thanks in advance guys!

Dave

 

Looks like a ceanothus to me, otherwise known as a Californian lilac.
Has a mass of lovely, compact blue flowers in spring. I have one outside my kitchen window and it's lovely!
As with most shrubs and trees, it's best to move them in their dormant period in the late autumn, early winter. Dig them up with as much of the root ball as you can manage and retaining as much of the surrounding earth as you can manage. It can be quite tough if the shrub is well established. When you've put it in its new home, give it a good water.
Tis said that a couple of banana skins in the bottom of the planting hole will supply it with precious nitrogen for a good while.

[ 05. March 2006, 07:06 PM: Message edited by: michaelmasdaisy ]

 

er, not so sure it is Ceanothus, not with rounded leaves like that. Euonymus perhpas or one of the Japanese hollies, Ilex crenata?
Do they flower?

 

first impression was ceanothus,but the edges aren't crinkly enough, in my experience. If it is ceanothus, they're renowned for not lasting long, so there might not be much hope. My other thought was escallonia. Does it have pink flowers? Or does it have lethal-looking thorns?? Maybe a chaenomeles? (flowering quince?)

 

Looks like box to me.

 

Have you seen it in flower, Dave?

 

I agree it looks a lot like box.

 

& a bit like an Euonymus. :rolleyes:

Do the leaves have any scent when you crush them?

 

Wow - lots of choices. I have two California lilacs and the leaves are different (much more waxy and compact on this one) unless its a different variety?

I also have some euonymus and escallonia dotted around, and again the leaves just feel different. I don't know about the scent, I will try that tonight!

I have never seen it flower or fruit and we've been in the house for nearly a year now - just ticks over quite happily, it doesn't grow a good deal but we're happy with the size it is.

Looking at the images of some of the (much appreciated) suggestions, I would say they look similar but not quite right. I inherited my house from my great uncle who was a master gardener, so chances are it could be a rarity (hence another reason why I don't want to lose it! )

 

Looks like Box to me. Def not Ceanothus as this would have a profusion of flowers every year and the leaf is quite different.

 

I think it's box, going by frost damage and trunk.

 

Hi Frogesque - my mum has got common box in her garden, and again, it comes down to the leaves. The one on this bush are really thick and waxy and the box just doesn't feel like that when you compare. Could it be a different variety of box?

 

Hi Liz - frost damage! Yes, we've had a lot of that this year - thick snow over the weekend as well!

PS - everyone excuse the mess in the picture behind the mystery tree - my garden will need a lot of work before it is complete :D

 

I've been looking on the RHS plant selector, and am a convert to the Box theory - see link http://www.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantselector/plantdetail.aspx?plantid=43001

 

Sorry Nixon - It wouldn't let me in for not being a member :(