Can anyone please help me identify this shrub/tree?
By Woodii
United Kingdom 
I moved into this house about two and half years ago and the garden was pretty bare except for some overgrown conifers and the plant in the photograph. It was weak and brittle and starved. We have removed the conifers and fed the garden etc and the plant has seemed to thrive since. I thought it was a Viburnum but despite thriving, it has not flowered and I am not sure that a Viburnum can get this big. The fence it is against is 7 feet high so I would estimate the plant to now be about 14 or 15 feet (It has grown about 3 or 4 feet since we moved in). It is evergreen and the new growth is light green. I do have a close-up picture of the plant but I only seem to be able to post one. If I can do more please let me know.
28 Apr, 2008
Answers
Thanks for your help but I have just received a reply from another forum and they tell me it is a Loquat tree! I have googled this and it certainly seems to be what it is. Thanks for your help though and I thought you might like to know just out of curiosity.
woodii
28 Apr, 2008
I cannot be sure from the photo, but the shape, smoothness of bark, leaf formation and new growth lead me to think it could be one of the evergreen Diospyros. Might be worth googling images Diospyros. Best of luck
28 Apr, 2008