Yet Another Plant Identification

This looks like a Lime tree of some variety

Hmmm, definitely need flowers for this one. Not familiar with those leaves. They seem paired lower down and alternate further up the stems.

The other one that sprang to mind, Fractal, was some kind of Cornus?

It's definitely not a lime tree -- it has never born fruit and does not have significant flowers that I remember. It is more bushy than tree-like, as it has many stems coming up from a clump in the ground. The leaves are paired, it is just a trick of the camera that makes them look like they're alternating at the top. It's in a shady area. In the winter, it dies back completely, leaving tall bare twigs that I have to cut down in the spring. The new growth emerges from the ground, not the from the old growth.

Also, the leaves are quite large, many larger than my hand.

I never noticed the size of the leaves, but now I can see, if you look a the brickwork behind, that they must be pretty big. If Fractal can't ID this, none of us on here can, except possibly AndrewR

There is something Hydrangea-like about this plant and as it's obviously herbaceous, it may well be one of the herbaceous members of that family. How about Deinanthe?

I think we do need AndrewR.

Is it related to the hazlenut such as Corylus americana

Ah, that's what it was reminding me of, thank you for putting me out of my misery, Drc! I knew the leaves reminded me of something else, and it was hazel. No idea if its that or not though, but at least you've saved my brain from fretting at something I couldn't recall...

I hardly dared say it, as I am not convinced either but it has a look of a young hazlenut. Witch hazel? dont think I have ever seen one close up

Opposite leaves rule out both Corylus and Hamamelis unfortunately and the poster said that it dies back like an herbaceous perennial.

Dare I try again about an Alder? Green Alder (Alnus viridis)???

If it dies back every winter it can't be any sort of tree.

If as already mentioed Hydrangea is it Hydrangea macrophylla as on this site www.floralimages.co.uk/phydramacro.htm

It's not a tree.