Hello!

I inherited several shrubs/trees when we bought our house,
but I don't know what they are. Any assistance would be
appreciated! I'm really enjoying trimming and shaping them,
so far.

the first has variegated leaves - the older growth is deep
green in the middle and white on the outside, the new growth
bright lime green, and newest growth is yellow at the
outside of the leaf, with green growing in.

the leaves are oval (with an end point), tend to be abt 1.5"
long and .75" across. and the edges are ever-so-slightly
serrated.

they *really* look like this, but mine doesn't get any
higher than 18" or so, and the griselinia plants shown go
4-8 meters, so i'm confused:
http://www.shrubsdirect.com/acatalog/grivar.gif

another pic that's very similar is this:
http://www.shrubsdirect.com/acatalog/wienan.jpg

the leaves are quite leathery, and tough. they grow from
the stem
in pairs, with each successive set of leaves 90 degrees
offset from the other.

the other one i want to identify grows *VERY* quickly, has
small green leaves
and gets pretty tiny purple flowers in the fall (i found out
these are "simple flowers", and they attract bees), and then
small oval red berries. the flowers are sorta like 4 leaves
that come up and out from the center (sorta like a trumpet
with handkerchief sleeves), and they're white towards the
base. (mind you, it's been awhile since i've seen the
flowers.)

the branches are thorny, and can shoot up around a foot in a
week's time (it's astonishing at times!). the first time i
trimmed it, it stood around 6' tall, with ridiculously long
arms that came up from the center, tipped over when the
branch got too heavy, and flowed down to the ground. i cut
off arms that were more than 12' long, leaving behind
another 6' or so, that first time. (yes, I meant *feet*, not
inches. )

i can't be any fonder of my shrubs than i already am, but
it'd be nice to know how to refer to them properly!

thanks!

jt

--
"To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent
people and the affection of children. To leave the world a
bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a
redeemed social condition. To know that even one life has
breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have
succeeded." - Author Unknown