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Name That Plant!

Unknown Bush

10 years ago

There is a large bush growing behind my and my neighbor's townhouses. Maintenance cut it all the way to the ground last fall and it has grown back quickly. (I don't know if they meant to remove it entirely--they don't seem to understand you have to remove the stump and roots as well.) The bush is currently about 4 feet tall and maybe 3 or 4 feet in diameter. I don't remember ever seeing any flowers on the bush and have been unable to identify it. Hopefully someone recognizes it from the leaves and can tell me what it is.

This post was edited by empressjenf on Sun, Jun 9, 13 at 20:53

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Comments (7)

empressjenf
Original Author
10 years ago
Here is a picture of the whole bush.
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
10 years ago
Maybe Chinese elm. Are the leaf sort of rough hairy?
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Well, there are 3 total that I have found, it appears that it may have grown from cuttings discarded as they are on the edge of the property but could have been growing in this spot for years as the house was built in the 40's. The plants were surrounded and almost hidden by blackberry gone wild. One is fairly large, the other 2 are more modest and more the size of a pruned rose bush you would find in the yard. None are taking over anything, they seem to grow from several central canes that have spread out and grown quite long on the larger bush. Besides the difference in size, the only difference I have found in them is that the largest one doesn't have thorns and the 2 smaller ones do. They all have green canes with the lines running through them, red new growth and some of the canes are mixed red and green. I would love to transplant if I can figure out what they are as they are in danger of being bulldozed for the sake of progress. Thanks for the help! Susan
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There are a bunch of different saucer magnolias - might have to wait until it bloom to know which one. Can you take a photo of the tree/shrub that might help with the ID.
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Thanks for all of your help! I guess they are not overgrown just have overgrown their spot next to the house. I have 3 of the flowering bushes and 1 of the green bush and they are starting to get intertwined. I was hoping I could just cut them back and not have to move them because they do look nice where they are-just need to be a little smaller. Thanks again!
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Ivy has a sterile climbing/creeping phase followed by a shrubby, flowering and fruiting one. Often both types of growth will be present. However, it is sometimes also possible to root cuttings of the adult stage to produce a flowering shrub that consists of the fertile growth only. If your specimen has no flowerless, creeping growth and could have been planted intentionally this might explain it.
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empressjenf
Original Author
10 years ago
A little. It's almost like a peach fuzz feeling. When I was trying to narrow it down on a website, some elm varieties were listed as possibilities. One thing I noticed about the leaves is the bottom part is uneven (the left side is not even with the right side).
Carrie B
10 years ago
Or perhaps Siberian Elm.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ulmus pumila
empressjenf
Original Author
10 years ago
It does really look like a Siberian Elm. At least now I'm sure it's some type of elm. Now if only the maintenance crew would stop butchering it...
Carrie B
10 years ago
Empress - in the Philadelphia, PA area, both Chinese elm & Siberian elm are weedy, invasive species. If it were on my property, I'd take steps to remove it.
empressjenf
Original Author
10 years ago
Well I am in Lebanon, PA, so that would make sense, except the people in charge here don't bother with proper landscaping. Several roofs need replacing because the tree branches scrape them due to no pruning, they cut bushes down but leave the trunk and then wonder why they grow back, and the rose bushes are far too overgrown to hold themselves upright. Not to mention the number of Norway Maples in the complex--talk about invasive! It's a crappy place that could be better maintained, but one of the few in the area that allows pets, especially dogs over 30 pounds.

The owners and maintenance crew aren't exactly "local" to our area and bought the place a few years ago, so I doubt they really know the species of plants that were already well established and likely don't know what is invasive in our area. If they want to remove it, that's fine with me as my neighbor would let me put something flowering there (like a lilac), but I think maintenance would just cut that down too (someone seems to be prune-happy in late summer). As far as I've seen, they just butcher this bush and let it grow back out of control. They did the same thing with a rose bush in the front that wouldn't flower due to lack of sun--cut it level with the ground a couple of times instead of properly dealing with it. I dug it out and put other plants in the spot. Maybe if they cut the elm back again I will see if I can dig it out, though it is much bigger than the rose bush was. I'm losing a war with a Chinese Tree of Heaven anyway, so I guess I could start a battle I might actually be able to win.

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