Anyone know what shrub/tree/bush this is?????

Hi all, just buying a new house with a massive garden and as we walked round looking at all the lovely plants and trees (it has an oak tree at the bottom of the garden and i'm    very excited!!!) and came across this plant/tree/shrub which neither my wife or her mother could identify which is a first!!! Any help would be gratfully recieved.

 Thanks!!!

Hi Gavin, you must be thrilled with your new house.

Do you think it could be a form of rhododrenron. the new growth looks similar and some types have big leaves.

Hi Gavin, GW identified this for me last year as being ERIBOTRYA JAPONICA which is also known as Japanese Plum and Japanese Medlar.  Got further information online and it is supposed to have white flowers but this has never happened.  The tree is in my son's garden in West Sussex and sheds leaves all year round which, unless you are prepared to collect leaves on a regular basis, stops anything growing in the bed underneath it and makes the grass look untidy.  I saw the bottom branches off from time to time as need to be able to get underneath it to cut grass but tree still flourishes.

Could also be aucuba japonica (known as spotted laurel, though isnt a laurel) - some varieties more pointed leaves than others... I'd suggest searching google images for both and see wot comes up...

Thanks for the quick response. We shall wait and see if it flowers!!!!

Not a laurel.    I think it is a loquat tree.    I had one for years but gave it away a couple of months ago.   It was growing in a pot.   It is also known as the Japanese Medlar.   Mine originated from Majorca.

I'm afraid I don't recognise your shrub, but just wanted to say 'Congratulations' on getting a garden with an oak tree!  We moved here last year and have two mature ash trees at the bottom of the garden - the wildlife  they attract to the garden is wonderful. We hang our birdfeeders from the lower branches - this shields the birds from the sight of the sparrowhawk who lives nearby.

The only snag is they are thirsty and so we do have to water our veg patch quite a lot, but on the up side, we've not suffered from the awful waterlogging that everyone else has had to cope with this year.

Well, whaddayaknow!  After my last post above I was just looking through my RHS book for something else and came across a picture of Daphenephillum macropodum http://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/plants.cfm?pl_id=1490  - there are lots of pictures online but they all look a bit different - put it into Google and see if you can find anything that looks like your mystery plant.

thanks again for your replys, will let you know how we get on with the beautiful oak!!!!