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The name of the Beast?

NollieNollie Posts: 6,737
in Plants
This ginormous and not especially attractive beast (shrub/tree?) is in a forgotten corner and is about 4m tall. Right now it’s tiny creamy white flowers are pumping out a strong, rather cloying scent. It’s swarming with little bees, so is obviously good for a late snack. Can anyone name it? Not sure if there are two in there or it was variegated but now largely reverted...

Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 33,678
    edited October 2019
    Elaeagnus
    Looks like maculata which has reverted
    Devon.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 6,737
    Fab, that’s the one, thanks @Hostafan1. Good to know so I don’t accidentally buy another  ;)
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 6,737
    Since I don’t see it much, I will leave it to the bees, Philippa, it’s more green than variegated now, not much in it, but the green is probably less aesthetically displeasing than the variegated!
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • B3B3 Posts: 24,413
    Variegated with pink bits is the worst😣
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • madpenguinmadpenguin Posts: 2,464
    At the moment (at least round here) the scent from the Eleagnus is amazing!
    “Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
  • NollieNollie Posts: 6,737
    It must be a really strong scent if I can smell it, I find it really sickly sweet and cloyingly annoyingly persistent. If it had pink in it as well, I would be saying b*gger the bees! 
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 7,702
    I'd be tempted to clear away some of the lower branches and make it more tree shaped. 
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Oh dear! I really like eleagnus! It looks sunny in any season or weather and the scent is, to me, gorgeous! It survives in my challenging conditions and makes a useful boundary or backdrop. Just goes to show, we all have different tastes.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 6,737
    Hmm, yes it might be overdue a short back and sides. It’s planted on an upper terrace and draping over the sides right down to the ground, though, so may end up looking a bit chainsaw massacred. As you have probably gathered I don’t like it much. I will see how evil I am feeling 😈 
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 28,794
    Don't massacre it.  Either do as @Topbird suggests and lift the corwn so you have a trunk at the base or else thin it out by removing whole branches back to the trunk to lighten up the apparent weight and then shorten any that need it.   Take your time and you'll end up with an elegant elagnus.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
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