Plant ID please

[Jericha]

I have this ugly looking inherited shrub/tree in my border. It looks dead most of the time and has lichen or something on it. I have pruned off the crossed branches and I dimly remember it having berries and tiny lacy flowers on it at some point last year when we moved in.

I have no idea what it is, and therefore how to care for it best! It's in a SW facing spot at the front of the house.

INaturalist and Google image search not showing up any clear ideas. I'd like to give it a chance before I remove it as I don't like doing that.

Many Thanks!

I think for most shrubs a prune and a handful of bonemeal and a mulch will do for now. Then wait and see what it does over the spring/summer? Can always take it out later.

Bit hard to tell from bare branches. Although the shiny reddish bark reminds me of cherry family, doesn't really tally with the rest of your description. I'd say though that if you don't like it, don't feel too guilty. I was slow to replace shrubs when we moved house, and I ended up feeling like I was in someone else's garden. Let everything flower for this year, and start planning what stays what gets moved and what goes.

Thanks both. I think when it's in leaf they are very small and rigid, and a fairly light green. I'm not giving much to go on am I

Good point about feeling like someone else's garden. I've sorted the back but not touched the front. There's some lovely stuff there but not necessarily what I'd choose. There's also what I think is a rhododendron. I snipped off some of the leaf clusters "deadheading" the small amount of beautiful flowers it gave me last year so I'm hoping I haven't killed that off now I know I should've only done the flower bit. I've never had one before and got a bit eager with secateurs

That's the best way to learn, Jericha!

It looks a wee bit like my lilac currently looks, but berries doesn't really tally with that and honestly it could be almost anything

From the picture I’d say Chaenomeles, Japanese quince, but that doesn’t tally with your memory oof small lacy flowers. Try us again when you have a few leaves?

Could it be a sambucus?

@SockFluffInTheBath

Could it be a sambucus?

Thatwould match the lacy flowers and the berries, but the bark isn’t right, is it?

Thanks all. I'm starting to doubt my memory now. I think the berries were actually bright pink. I will update when there's more on it that could be identifying as I've not given you much to go on.

Could be some sort of Cotoneaster

Thatwould match the lacy flowers and the berries, but the bark isn’t right, is it?

I don’t know about the bark, it doesn’t look like mine but I wondered if someone (probably yourself MereDint) might know of one. But then you’d have suggested it in the first place. I’ll leave quietly…

There’s a wonderful book “Winter twigs” by Poland and Clement” (who also wrote an excellent book on identifying uk wildflowers from their leaves only) - it’s mainly uk natives but overlaps into non native and garden shrubs and trees, and starts making you pay a lot more attention to bark and dormant buds

It looks like a climbing hydrangea to me but that should have white lacy flowers not pink and is usually planted against a wall or fence

@Vicliz24

It looks like a climbing hydrangea to me but that should have white lacy flowers not pink and is usually planted against a wall or fence

Ahh, I knew it looked familiar! I have one on the back wall- the flowers do go lacy..,

A new, much better photo! Hurrah! Google lens and INaturalist now giving even less suggestions with this new and improved photo

I agree with a PP, I think it could be some sort of cotoneaster. They have small white flowers in Spring/ Summer and red berries in the winter.

Best thing to do when you move into any house with a garden is to wait a whole year and find out what things are as you go along. Once you know, you can then prune them at the right time and in the right way.

It could be a cotoneaster, although there are endless varieties so it is hard to tell without seeing it in full leaf and/or with flowers.

Callicarpa have bright pink berries, but the bark doesn’t look right.

Thank you, cotoneaster may be on to a winner, perhaps hollyberry or similar. It's getting quite the move on with its foliage and flower buds so in a week or two a flower may narrow the search. Spindleberry looked a possible one too.

It's me again! Finally have some flowers to add to this. Also, I randomly stumbled across this photo on the net that looks remarkably similar!

PS I take it back it's not ugly

@MereDintofPandiculation

From the picture I’d say Chaenomeles, Japanese quince, but that doesn’t tally with your memory oof small lacy flowers. Try us again when you have a few leaves?

is it spiky?

@MereDintofPandiculation 🏆🌱

I’d quite like one of the new unspiky quinces.