There seems to be two varieties of this bush growing untended near our property in Nova Scotia, Canada. It grows well from cuttings that have vegetative buds and not flower buds I attached 3 photos - two flowering branches and one vegetative. I really would like to know what this hardy bush is. Thanks! In the Lord's service, Brian ( photo / image / picture from bpelleri's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from bpelleri's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from bpelleri's Garden )
I got a cutting from my parents house of the same thing and they said it was a Laurel but I can not confirm this. Mine has yet to take root but it hasn't died with it being in water for well over a month now.
My first thought was mountain ash, Sorbus aucuparia, but then I thought they didn't have red blooms. So I searched a bit, and found they do. I found a variety called Sorbus aucuparia x Craetagus, from Ukraine. So I think you've got mountain ash, or rowan trees as we call them.
Here in Nova Scotia (zone 5), these bushes are some of the earliest plants to break dormancy which is some time in February. They are really nice to see By March 15th the blossom clusters were putting out their first leaves when no other plant (except winter grains and Japanese Knotweed) had done so. Mountain ash is growing beside it and breaks dormancy about a month later.
It looks alot like Sambucus racemosa (Red Elderberry, European Red Elder) We have them everywhere and they are one of the first things to bloom.
And off I went outside to check out the Sambucus, Sorbus and Viburnum. None of the above mentioned are far enough along for me to say anything, bar that I think the leaves might be wrong for Viburnum. It might very well be a Sambucus.
Okay, if Bpelleri and I have the same thing this may help. The plant at my moms has a huge main trunk/stem at ground level. Last year it got over 20 feet tall. The flowers were very small and clustered like a small ball, not wide open and full. The flower clusters on mine were about the size of a silver dollar, maybe 1.5 inches across with about 80-120 flowers. The stem has a lot of little nodules/bumps on it and it is more woody than solid. I have had my cutting in water for 6-8 weeks and while the flowers did die the cutting has not and is still very green.
Also, the leaves are in clusters, mine has 7 leaves per flower stem. My mom just told me that the flowers were white and it is puttiong out small berries that are green and not ripe. also, the leaves are serrated and thin.
