"James Fidell" wrote in message
.. .
Not a great time of year for doing this, but just the way it works out...

In the middle of my new veg/fruit garden (which has been an overgrown
veg/fruit garden for quite some time) are a number of plants like this:

http://photos.fidell.co.uk/Pittisford/2004032303.jpg

It's in bud at the moment and one or two leaves are just starting to
open. They look like they might be similar to raspberry leaves, but
until they unfurl I can't be sure. Most of the stems are a burgundy
red colour, with some of the older (possibly dead) wood turning pale
brown. There's nothing in the vicinity of the plot that looks similar,
so I assume these were deliberately planted at some point in the past
rather than self-seeding and are therefore likely to be some sort of
fruit-bearing bush.

The area is full of nettles, docks, thistles, brambles and all sorts
of other unpleasantness that I'm slowly digging out (and it's very
hard work , so if these plants aren't going to be useful to me I'll
dig them up to make sure I get anything lurking around them. If they
do produce fruit though, I'll do the best I can this year and transplant
them at the end of the year, or take cuttings to plant out next year if
that is possible.

Anyone have any suggestions as to what they might be, or do I need to
wait a bit longer until they get into leaf properly?

James

Hi James, from the stems I suspect its a Dogwood - Cornus Alba possibly?
Have a google for an image and see if it matches what you've got.
Chris S