i am not quiet sure but to me i would say it is a camelia..

The leaves certainly look like Camellia.It is not Carpenteria. The flowering period would match for some Camellias, as well. I can't think of anything else that would match.

Flowers look like a camellia as well.....

Can I ask what it does in the winter - disappear completely, lose its leaves, or is it evergreen? Not convinced its a Camellia, the leaves don't look as if they are toothed at all, look smooth on the edges, and Carpenteria flowers are fragrant, so not that either.

Thanks for your responses - I'm impressed! The leaves stay on in winter, they are smooth and quite small, growing in a sort of rosette of three or four. Hope that helps.

I had a feeling you were going to say evergreen from the look of the leaves, and I've been wracking my brains all day, and come up with precisely zilch - we need Fractal, bet he knows... I'd really like to know too!

It is never Chaenomeles? looks like it but not evergreen that I've ever seen.

Thanks Vincent. I think you could be right! The buds and leaves on google images look just like my shrub. It has no fragrance though, and the flowers have fallen but there doesn't seem to be any fruit buds on the stem. I might be wrong about it being evergreen (says she, sheepishly) - here in the Pennines, most of my garden was under piles of snow for months so I might have just assumed there were leaves on it! Thanks to everyone else too, for your suggestions.

I think this could be a Pomegranate. There is a Japanese semi-double named form that looks like this. At first I thought Chaenomeles but I think Punica now. Would like a better photo. Could you do a profile (side on shot) of the flower as I would like to see if there is a sunken ovary at the back of the flower (the swollen bit behind the flowers that turns into the fruit).

ps, those flowers look way larger than 2cm too.

Would Pomegratate grow like this in the Pennines, Fractal? I lost a dwarf one this year at about -5. I am still betting on Chaenomeles!

They are very large looking flowers aren't they Vincent? Yes, I would happily go with Chaenomeles also. The leaves definitely look like them, especially when three are sometimes held on the end of a short spur like that.

Incidentally, the dwarf Pomegranate has very small leaves compared to the normal form. Just wondered if this was an option but you are right of course about the hardiness. It wouldn't really stand up well to a cold British winter.

Actually, when I looked, it had started to produce some leaves. so all is not lost!
and yes the leaves are very small and it does not flower very well here because of the relatively dull summers.