Help identifying this plant please?

headcovers

I moved into my new house 12 months ago and there was very little growth on this plant, in fact it looked dead with little or no growth. It was, and still is, very woody and as it recovered shoots of growth started to appear until it is now quite bushy. I have cut it back somewhat to encourage growth and this seems to have encouraged recovery. The new shoots seem to be red in colour on the stem and have green ovate leaves. I've not seen any flowers in 12 months, so I can't identify from flowers. Can anyone help?

 

nutcutlet

I don't recognise this one hc. Is it evergreen or deciduous? Could you do a few more pic. A close up of leaves/stem perhaps. Do the leaves/ stem smell of anything. What sort of soil have you got

I'm assuming no-one else has recognised it unless they missed your post as I did

Fairygirl

Nut - I thought it looked a bit laurel-y.

headcase- what else is growing round about  it?

nutcutlet

Fg I thought it lookes a bit hebe-y. But those mature stems didn't really go with either in my mind. But they don't look too great, those mature stems. So maybe shouldn't just by them

Salino

...has a Hebe look to it... it's size - possibly one called 'Midsummer Beauty'.. not very hardy, which is why it was cut down by frosts...and persistent pruning has probably cut off any flowers...you still might get some though..if this is the right plant...as it repeats in the autumn...they may be lilac or white...

Fairygirl

It was the big stems at the back that threw me a bit too - I assumed they were part of the same plant which is why I though it had to be something that gets to a fair height. I think it looks a bit 'hefty' for a Hebe if that makes sense!

nutcutlet

i think they are thesameplant Fg. Perhaps headcovers will let us know when he/she comes in again. And re deciduous or evergreen

Salino

..yeah...I'm not totally convinced..but that Hebe does grow to 6 or 7 foot...but there's something about the shape and woody stems....makes me doubt...can't think what else...

...anyone think it might be a Daphne...?

nutcutlet

Midsummer Beauty is enormous given 15 years or so, but I think there would be flowers if it was a hebe. it takes a lot to stop a hebe flowering 

headcovers

Gosh, so sorry to come back so late - I didn't get any notification that there were replies. How kind of you - thank you!

I've attached a close up picture of the leaves.  It's a 6 year old garden and to the right of it is a philadephus and to the left is a spirea.  It's in sun for about 3 hours a day and it's in the north-west facing part of the garden.  The soil isn't very good.  Lots of rubble was put into the garden during the building of the conversion, so when I'm planting I have to put in lots of compost, but this would have been planted in very poor soil, I'm guessing.  It's definitely deciduous, as it's only grown in the spring/summer.  The two tall stems are part of the same plant - poor pruning on my part really, but there was good growth on them, so I didn't like to cut them, when the plant was looking poorly.

 

 

 

headcovers

By the way - I'm liking the suggestion of a Daphne......I've looked at other images and they're very similar!