Gail writes:
Does anyone know the name of this shrub???? When we moved into our home in 1977—the elderly lady next door,
shared how she and her deceased husband used various gardening practices (chives under bushes to cut down on mosquitoes). One of my earliest exposures to” organic gardening techniques.” among her many plants, one has survived the many “new neighbors” but I have never been able to figure out what it is. So I decided to let you all help me (PS I do not have a smart phone–).
Evergreen in nature–but not conifer insignificant-small white flowers, emit a grape smell flies & bees just love the berries which follow in the fall remind me of bittersweet- not orange….but white, and when ripe they pop open to reveal a bright red berry like seed.
The plant reseeds easily and the bush can get quite large thanks ahead of time……………..gk
« Banquet
Identity Issue
November 30, 2018 by Linda Welch
Monroe County Master Gardener Association 
the leaves and what I can see of the stems sure look like bittersweet except for the outside hull. and scant berries not like regular bittersweet with larger clusters. Unusual indeed!