Thanks. Buds alternate.....That rules out many shrubs inc Forsythia, Viburnum, Cornus, Hazel. Before flowers looked as if they would open yellow...but now they could be any colour. I am now leaning towards Vaccinium corymbosum .....common name blueberry. But flowers are needed as I am not sure.
Those buds look as if they're about to burst, so maybe something winter-flowering? Lonicera purpusii, L. fragrantissima or Chimonanthus praecox? I don't know if any of those have alternate buds.
Edit: what about witch hazel (Hamamelis) as a possibility?
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I thought Japonica (or what I know as Japonica), Spring flowering shrub then 'apples' in the autumn.
I believe you are thinking about Chaenomeles...common name Japanese quince. However there is no evidence of thorns . The flower buds of mystery shrub are not in clusters. We will just have to be patient and wait to see what happens.
Quote wiki...
"Chaenomeles is a genus of three species of deciduous spiny shrubs, usually 1–3 m tall, in the familyRosaceae. and in the flowers, borne in clusters, having deciduous sepals and styles that are connate at the base.
The leaves are alternately arranged, simple, and have a serrated margin. The flowers are 3–4.5 cm diameter, with five petals, and are usually bright orange-red, but can be white or pink; flowering is in late winter or early spring. The fruit is a pome with five carpels; it ripens in late autumn."
Those buds look as if they're about to burst, so maybe something winter-flowering? Lonicera purpusii, L. fragrantissima or Chimonanthus praecox? I don't know if any of those have alternate buds.
Edit: what about witch hazel (Hamamelis) as a possibility?
Lonicera have opposite leaves..... Pics 1 and 2. Chimonanthus praecox also have opposite leaves. .... pics 3 and 4. Hamamelis...common name Witch hazel have alternate leaves. However the flowers are tiny and in bunches pics 5 to end..
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You could cut a branch and bring it into a warm room.
The flowers buds will open in the warmth.
Photos of the stems below, hope that helps and I will cut a branch when the eternal rain stops !
Buds alternate.....That rules out many shrubs inc Forsythia, Viburnum, Cornus, Hazel.
Before flowers looked as if they would open yellow...but now they could be any colour.
I am now leaning towards Vaccinium corymbosum .....common name blueberry.
But flowers are needed as I am not sure.
However there is no evidence of thorns .
The flower buds of mystery shrub are not in clusters.
We will just have to be patient and wait to see what happens.
Quote wiki...
"Chaenomeles is a genus of three species of deciduous spiny shrubs, usually 1–3 m tall, in the family Rosaceae. and in the flowers, borne in clusters, having deciduous sepals and styles that are connate at the base.
The leaves are alternately arranged, simple, and have a serrated margin. The flowers are 3–4.5 cm diameter, with five petals, and are usually bright orange-red, but can be white or pink; flowering is in late winter or early spring. The fruit is a pome with five carpels; it ripens in late autumn."
Chimonanthus praecox also have opposite leaves. .... pics 3 and 4.
Hamamelis...common name Witch hazel have alternate leaves.
However the flowers are tiny and in bunches pics 5 to end..
Lonicera purpusii.
Chimonanthus praecox
Hamamelis tiny flower buds.