Plant id anyone please?

[heldinadream]

Ok so I know it's not a brilliant pic but I can't get any closer, and I know it's a fairly boring looking plant but I do have a reason for wanting to know it that I won't bore you with, any ideas anyone? Thank you!

Some sort of laurel I think. Do the flower spikes turn white?

Thank you, I'm not sure, in fact I've thoroughly confused myself at this point and can't see it any more because I'm not there! But laurel is a possibility.

Pretty sure that's a laurel.

If you are planning on cutting it back bear in mind it has to be handled very carefully as parts of it are toxic.

Doesn’t look like Laurel to me, it’s growing shape is more spiky.
Can you post a close up of the leaves?

think it is a rhododendron.

The leaves look too dark for laurel, and it has the right look to it.

Does it have any flowers?

Does it have lots of lovely yellow flowers?

Ok here's the thing/things. It's not in my garden. The view - I took the pictures - are from the upstairs of a house-sit I was on, of a whole spread of back gardens. So I can't get better pix, I can't see it again, nothing.
I'm an artist and I am doing a drawing of the whole scene and I particularly like what this plant adds in terms of detail and interest and structure, so I wanted to look up pix of other specimens of the same plant. I thought it was garrya elliptica but it isn't.

I can't even (this is where I've got confused) remember whether the yellow spikes are the beginnings of flowers or new spring leaf growth - I took the pix a couple of weeks ago. I thought they were yellow flower spikes but a friend of mine who is the garden oracle for me thinks they are new leaf growth so I'm now doubting myself and my memory is playing tricks.
In the end it doesn't matter because I can just draw what I think looks good, but it's the frustration of not being able to look up further pix because that's how I work, from as many sources as I can. But I've got no better pics of this sadly.

So all you people asking if it's got yellow flowers - I'm not sure but I think the spiky bits might be yellow flower spikes a bit like upside-down catkins, and this pic was two weeks ago so if they are flowers it's early March flowering.
Oh and it's definitely not a rhododendron!
Thanks all! Love a good plant mystery.

Is it an elderflower/berry tree?

If it has yellow flowers in spikes, flowering now, it's probably a type of mahonia.

Don't think so.

It's the upside-down catkin bit I think characterises it.

No def not a mahonia, mahonia is one of my fave plants. The spikes are much more insignificant and more of a pale greeny whitish yellow and the leaves are nothing like mahonia.
Thanks for trying. 😊

I wondered whether it was a yellow mimosa that had finished flowering. The feathery leaves looked like it. On closer inspection though the older leaves don't look feathery enough.

All of it’s toxic, isn’t it? The leaves were used in killing-bottles by butterfly hunters.

Laurel leaves are as dark as rhododendrons, surely? Does the shine make them look lighter?

Click on squashy’s link above.
I would put money on that being a laurel.

the flowers you are describing (upside down catkins) sound like a laurel, not a rhododendron, like in squashyhat's picture

Could it be a pieris?

I’ve just taken 3 photos of Pieris, Rhododendron and Laurel. Take your pick.

Oh yes it looks like the Pieris.

The laurel leaves are rounder and fatter, less pointy.

Hi op,
I just saw this tree in someone's garden while waiting for a train, having read your thread earlier.
I thought it looked similar and met description with reverse catkin going on. It did look like a kid of laurel, but regardless of id hope the pics help with your painting.

OmG that's so kind of you! That is definitely the same. I am now veering towards it being laurel.
I think your pix are better than mine and have some nice detail - that's such a help, thank you. 😊

Azalea?

I'm not sure about the plant as I can't get a good enough look at leaf shape, but I definitely approve of the black and white cat sunning itself in the background!

Doesn't look like laurel to me, and the lighter bits look like new growth.