Identifying an unknown tree
By Spritzhenry
West Somerset,
England
This photo was taken today.
On plant
Unknown tree

21 Jan, 2008
Answers
It's about 10 feet tall by 10 feet spread. Flowers are clusters, a bit like a Viburnum tinus, only no pink in them, and it flowers as far as I recall in the summer. The bees love the flowers.
21 Jan, 2008
I've seen a photinia in shade and starved conditions do this - red leaves now but no new red growth in the growing season
21 Jan, 2008
I agree with Andrew, it looks like a sick photinia, where is it planted, position, etc
21 Jan, 2008
It is facing west (in maximum sunshine) in a large mixed bed. The soil in the garden is good, it's neutral, but I have not fed the soil in this particular bed apart from last summer when I planted a whole batch of Convallaria under this tree, and added compost as I did so. I have now looked at my Hillier and found a Photinia called 'Redstart' which sounds very like it. What steps do you think I should take now? Compost/ bonemeal/ manure? I've got all these to hand.
21 Jan, 2008
Go for it, give it a good feed and maybe a trim in the spring to keep it in check, I have downloaded a picture of a photinia flower on my homepage if that jogs your memory
Andrea
21 Jan, 2008
I did trim it last year - partly to keep its shape and also because the vine on the pergola had grown into it and I was perched on top of a stepladder cutting the vine out - dear me, what a job! So I think its haircut should wait. What shall I feed it on?
21 Jan, 2008
Lightly dig the soil with a trowel, give it some bonemeal and top dress with a layer of compost and some good mulch of small bark chippings or leaf mould. That is what I would do then give it some liquid feed in the Spring when the new shoots start to appear, seaweed or something similar, all the best and I hope he recovers
21 Jan, 2008
Not 100% sure but it looks like magnolia acuminata.
How large is this tree?
Fred
21 Jan, 2008