Identification: Deciduous shrub with opposite leaves

Don't they all have opposite leaves? I'm just being pessimistic. I expect that these are a common shrub that I would maybe recognize with fruits or flowers, but it does not have them now, and nothing is distinctive about these to me. I like the round shape of these shrubs, and the straight stems. Is it identifiable? They were so attractive with the yellow leaves, like huge Christmas ornaments. I never even noticed them the rest of the year. These are planted at St Paul's Hospital on the Thurlow side.

 

A Ligustrum maybe?

 

Kind of reminds me of Forsythia...maybe

 

Photos taken from too far away to tell - bud and twig details need to be discernible.

 

OK, thanks. It was the habit that interested me; I thought it might have been distinctive. Here is a cropped version of the last photo, maybe not clear enough.

 

Definitely forsythia. The habit isn't natural - they have been arbitrarily headed back, as people often do with these traditionally medium- to large-growing shrubs (multiple dwarf forms also exist), thereby eliminating the attractiveness of their otherwise arching growth.

 

Ha-ha, OK, I won't submit them as a good example. I thought the big yellow balls were pretty good as winter ornaments. But true, if they'd had the arching branches, I might have recognized them too, and would not have posted them.

 

I am surprised leaves are still on those bauble shrubs ! It will be interesting to observe them in March when usually this plant should bloom ... tho regretfully thé gardeners might have sheared off next spring blossom potential (bloom on old wood ?)

Here is a pic this morning
of the few leaves remaining on a free ranging forsythia that blooms for a lengthy period in March.

And thé twigs force in a vase in the house really well after Christmas ... and the tiny garden birds like the twigs outside for night rests and daytime protection fr hawks.

 

Sorry, that was misleading. The photos were from November 1 (shown in the file names). For various reasons I am trying to catch up on Vancouver photos.

 

Oh I understand - I wondered after this recent cold spell ... which usually seems to happen around USA Thanksgiving no matter when the Thu is ;)

The photo I posted is a good example of horrible machine shearing - it is tangled up inside the latest twigs ... tho that has advantages in that it is on a retaining
wall and no human of any size could fall off due to the forsythia sheared twig tangle! (Plus it’s a small bird safety zone)