Any idea what this is?

[Bambichik39]

This bush thing is planted next to my garage. I just recently purchased the home so no idea what it might be. I live in Summerville,SC so considered costal- just curious if it'll bloom or if I should try and fix their prune job?

[imafan26]

It does need pruning. I don't know what it is. I don't recognize the leaf and there are no flowers to help either. I suggest if you don't know how to prune a shrub, you get someone who knows how to do it. It doesn't look like it will fill in nicely from a bad pruning.

[catgrass]

The plant itself looks like camelia, but it would have buds and flowers by now. Possibly gardenia. Does it have any flower buds at all?

[imafan26]

The leaves look to thick and stiff to be gardenia and if this was not trimmed recently it would have grown out faster and usually even trimmed gardenias become more tree like as they grow older and show their legs.

Usually to identify a plant it helps to have a leaf or better yet a branch so you can see what kind of branching it does. Pictures of both sides of the leaf, a flower, and a seed. Most plants are identified by their flowers. Flowers tell you what family they belong to and sometimes the specific cultivar.

Camelia sounds like a possibility. On the first picture it looks like a leaf has a fungal disease. Laurel's don't usually have too many fungal diseases except powdery mildew. The branch that is growing out has long internodes. Most true laurels would have shorter internodes and grow more or less vertically. If they are cut they will sucker and become more bush like. The cherry trees that are called laurels though could be possibilities since they are used for hedges and they have a spreading habit.

I can tell that this was a tree that was cut and what we are looking at are suckers. Since this is not the natural form of the tree we cannot identify it by shape. Not all trees will freely sucker so well so it does narrow things down that way.

Try to break a leaf and smell it. Sometimes you can tell what family it is from from the smell of the leaf or the color of the sap.

[Bambichik39]

Here are some pictures of the leaves it doesn't have any seeds or flowers on it and hasn't since I moved here in October

[imafan26]

Probably not camelia. the leaves are opposite the camelia has alternating leaf nodes and slightly serrated leaf edges at least on the ones I know about.

Maybe a crepe myrtle it can have glossy leaves, leaves are opposite and it is a common southern landscape tree and it does sucker a lot if it is cut. It is usually summer blooming.

[rainbowgardener]

My guess would be a privet hedge plant.

[imafan26]

There are many different species of privet but the leaves are not a dark green and the leaves of privet are also alternate, not opposite.

[rainbowgardener]

I said it was a guess and I could be wrong, but:

Ligustrum japonicum (Japanese privet ; Japanese: ネズミモチ) is a species of Ligustrum (privet) native to central and southern Japan (Honshū, Shikoku, Kyūshū, Okinawa) and Korea.[1] It is widely cultivated in other regions, and is naturalized in California and in the southeastern United States from Texas to Virginia.[2]

It is an evergreen shrub or small tree growing to 2–5 m (rarely 6 m) tall, with smooth, pale grey-brown bark on the stems. The leaves are opposite, 5–10 cm long and 2–5 cm broad, glossy dark green above, paler glaucous to yellowish green below*, thick and leathery textured, and with an entire margin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligustrum_japonicum

*some people say almost white

naturalized means spreading on its own and in fact it has become quite invasive in many areas.

Privet is still my best guess...

[catgrass]

I thought I had posted a reply, but apparently didn't! Definitely NOT crepe myrtle. Does look like ligustrum. I have both, will try to remember to take pictures. Most ligustrums around here do have dark leaves.

[imafan26]

Looks like privet is a possibility. Would it grow like a tree eventually? If you look in the original pictures you can see where the top was cut off. I think it is the same plant. There aren't many privets that are grown here. Mock orange is the more popular hedge plant.

[catgrass]

Well, dang! I've had one in my front yard that was there 18 years ago when I moved here and it never invaded anything, nor have I had a stray show up in my almost 1/2 acre yard with a multitude of flower beds and vegetable garden. Must be a different type! Ima-it can be pruned to become a small tree or remain a hedge/bush type plant. As I said, mine has been here for well over 18 years, and is about 7-8 ft. tall. It was topped off only once, and that was when my son came home from the military and decided to "prune" it. Flowers in the early spring, the bees love it-it smells strongly sweet.

[catgrass]

I'm gonna have to go read how to do pics again-Here is a camelia in full bloom;

[catgrass]

Well, I have to go read how to do pics again-that is a camelia in full bloom

[fta123]

Those are Wax Leaf Privet for sure; I have about 20 of those in my backyard. Other names for it is Ligustrum japonicum 'Texanum' hope this helps

[nltaff]

My guess-search for Mahonia, see if that fits the characteristics and appearance of your shrub.

[rainbowgardener]

If you read the posts in this thread, I think we had pretty well settled on privet.

mahonia has spikier leaves, like holly (where it gets its name Oregon grape holly)



but welcome to the Forum!!