Help ID'ing these shrubs

[seaellare]

Hello again! I think this will be my last ID need - I know what the rest of what I have are - thank you!!!!

These again were planted before we bought the house - no flowers, they do grow pretty fast - I've been shearing them back 3-4 times between spring and fall! The newer leaves come in a light green, while the older leaves darken to a nice deep green. They are evergreen. Are they some sort of holly?

Another question - how would I go about pruning them? As I said earlier, I've just been shearing them with hedgeclippers. I am inclined now to get the loppers and get all of the growth sprouting at the bottoms of them, and then thin out the branches a bit. "Inside" of the outer leaves, it is pretty much hollow - no leaves, just branches - not sure if they are even alive or not. I would like to get these shrubs down to about a 1 1/2 feet or so - just under the windowsill in the picture. Is that too much? Seems like every time I shape them up, I get as far as I can with the hedgeclippers, but the main trunk is way too thick for them. I would like to keep them, just cut them down appx. 1/3 of the way.

Any tips/help/ID/suggestions is really appreciated!! Don't know how lost I would have been without this forum

Christine
[img]https://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b349/albumsintheattic/IM004823.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b349/albumsintheattic/IM004824.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b349/albumsintheattic/IM004825.jpg[/img]

[Jess]

I would say you have Ligustrum japonicum (waxleaf Privett). Tough as old boots, do what you want with it. Check On Google as it won't let me copy it here.

[Franco]

Does that plant need iron? I usually use an iron solution on my yellow-ey plants and it works well.

[seaellare]

Thank you much - I think I'll really give this a good pruning, and then let it go - I read to prune after it flowers (late spring), and then again in late summer. I've been pruning them down clear into fall, so that would be why I haven't seen any flowers (or berries)!

As for the low iron, I read that the new growth is supposed to be a light green, but I will add some mushroom compost around the base when I prune them down. Hopefully they won't look too ugly once the majority of the leaves are off, but it grows quickly, so shouldn't be ugly for long!!

Thank you again