Mystery shrub solved. I did not know what this one was. Small clusters of flowers soon. I'll read up on how to prune it properly. I took a lot of dead branches off a few weeks ago. It is a ninebark, in the rose family. I never would have guessed it.
I wanted to pass along an app called "Inaturalist" I just installed it today and identified a whole bunch of plants around the property. It is a free app that you take pictures of leaves or flowers, and it puts up what it most likely is, along with several suggestions. We have several varieties of maples here, and it identified each one. It is a pretty good app.
That is so funny. I posted on FB asking if anyone knew my mystery shrub as it was flowering long droops. It reminded me of perhaps a black cherry, but this was definitely a shrub, and didn't have the same bark. One gal threw out a guess that was a vine, not a shrub. But then she told me if I had an iPhone to use the google app and take a picture it will find it. Well, my work phone is an iphone, so I did that a little bit ago. They gave me a couple of options, but the one I looked at first was the black cherry. Turns out the pictures for young trees they showed me could have been twins to my shrub. Then if you go to the article, it shows the much different bark for mature trees. I never even thought that the neighbor keeps using a hedge trimmer on it, so of course it has turned into a "shrub) The bark to my "shrub" Flowers Leaves One of the mature Black Cherry trees on my property - about 100' away from the black cherry shrub. And about 80' taller than the "shrub"
A few pics I took today Lilac in full bloom and smelling really nice Lily of the Valley. There is a good sized patch in the woods behind the house and I see some starting to take residence in the shrub garden at the other end of the yard too creeping phlox in front, purple gem rhododendron behind (the flowers show more pink in the pic than they actually are) Red rhodie in the shade garden A shot of only the purple gem - closer to color but still a bit too pink
Chokecherries was another option it gave me, but the bark didn't quite look right. Just checked the leaves, and they are smooth edge, not "toothy" (see link to identifying the differences)
I've been gone up to camp for most of the last two weeks and need to post some pics of flowers. I did find 4 really cool Red Trilliums up to camp, I was looking for them, but didn't have my camera with me. I know, I never saw them without pics. I did take a cool pic of Hummingbird at the feeder while sitting around the fire from only 4 feet away.
Yes - black fruit (black cherries) I've definitively identified it as black cherry because I also found an actual shrub of chokecherry. I'll post pics of the leaves tonight when I have more time.
That jasmine (honeysuckle) does smell good. You can pull the stem out and taste the nectar. It is very sweet.
It sure does. Last time we visited friends in Virginia, honeysuckle was in bloom. Driving the back roads to fishing spots was very memorable as the air was heavy with the fragrance.
Our honeysuckle it about to go. That is one bush or two or three that will stay right where it is at. We love the smell.
As promised, here are the pics of the chokecherry I found in my back yard Bark Flowers aren't as long as the black cherry Leaves - note the tiny sawtooth edges Black cherry bark (immature) Longer flowers than the chokecherry - although they are otherwise pretty much identical Edge of leaf has womewhat saw type edge, but the "teeth" are much smoother.
And there's a mountain ash on the edge of the property, in bloom. For scale The flowers will turn to bright orange berries, late summer
Ooh, that is pretty. Unfortunately I can't keep roses alive - believe me, I've tried just about everything out there. Well, that is not entirely true, I did keep some old English Roses alive quite well at my last place. Unfortunately those only bloom once - always during the rainy part of spring so the blooms almost immediately sloughed their petals . I tried roses for a couple of years here too, and finally gave up.
I understand. These yellow roses were on the property when we bought it 38yrs ago. I moved them about 30yrs ago and haven't done anything to them. They always bloom this time of year. They send out runners and send up new bushes. A buddy of mine took one of the offspring, and it's been blooming for him too. They bloom just once a yr. VERY thorny. Maybe, ignoring this kind of rose, is the secret.
