Another 'what is this' thread

[WisestIsShe]

I have a very large tree at the bottom of my garden. I've never paid much attention to it but now I have a dog and he's trying to eat the fruit I thought of better try and find out what it is.
I've attached a photo. It's about 4m tall.
Any suggestions appreciated.

Cherry laurel?

Should have mentioned the fruit is very like a cherry.

It's Laurel. Can grow like buggery and the berries can be poisonous to dogs if eaten in quantity.

Yes agree with the above, can poison dogs but not pigeons who eat the berry's and then shit black tarry poo all over my patio.

Yikes @DeborahAnnabelToo I've just googled that.
Thank you. They sound actually quite toxic. I sweep under it every day but he send to enjoy rooting them out.
I'll have to think about how best to manage it.

@Morfin if they poisoned pigeons i might be less concerned! Pigeons are not my favourite things.

Can you cordon that bit of the garden off? Otherwise I'd be tempted to just get rid of it.

I'd rather corden it off than get rid of it. It makes the back garden totally private which is unusual where we live.

Thanks for the advice.

Yes, if those leaves are about 6inches long it's cherry laurel, Prunus laurocerasus. When I was a child, I used to have a "den" in one in my parents' garden, so I'm very fond of it when flowering and fruiting. Not keen on it when clipped into a hedge - bit boring. Cherries are also in the genus Prunus.

In the days when it was thought acceptable to collect moths and butterflies and pin them into cork lined trays, crushed laurel leaves were used in the "killing bottle".

If the dog's truing to eat the fruit, you could try removing the fruit once the flowers are over (actually, perhaps not, since you describe its as "a very large tree") But they're so pretty, especially when still ripening and in a variety of colours.