Privet.
Most people use them as hedges.
Personally I don't care for them.

Thank you! I don't care for it either really. I am thinking about removing it.

If it provides berries, you may want to keep it for wildlife i.e: especially birds and small mammals.

I'm rather doubtful about the Ligustrum (privet) id. The flower buds look wrong to me. Does it have prickles or is that just something else growing up through it?

How about Viburnum tinus 'Compactum'?

Are those tiny white berries or flower buds? Some of the Boxwood hedges around here are loaded with the little berries.

I'm assuming they're buds.

tulsarose, are you sure those berries are on Boxwood? I've never met a Buxus that has berries. They have little green fruit with three 'horns' and 3 capsules inside.

This post was edited by floral_uk on Tue, Oct 14, 14 at 14:06

Where are you located and how long has this been in the ground? Is it a new planting? Is it evergreen or deciduous?

Viburnum tinus will likely not survive a zone 6 winter. Mine died to ground this last winter in zone 7A

I'm in southern illinois. It's been there for a while, at least 4 years. It's on the edge of my property on the back side of my garage, where no one ever really is but lately I was thinking about doing something back there (next year maybe). They look like little buds to me, can't say if it makes berries or not as I never really paid attention to it before.

This post was edited by jeserfen on Tue, Oct 14, 14 at 9:47

Japanese privet blooms in the spring, and I definitely don't see buds on it until the spring growth appears.

The leaves and general appearance in the photo don't match Japanese privet (which the Previous Owners left me 20 of). A year or two ago someone here (I think saltcedar) explained how to differentiate between Japanese and Chinese privet: the differences he cited were in leaf size and maximum height, so I would disqualify Chinese privet also (i.e., the OP's shrub is way too different from my Japanese privet to be Chinese privet).

Ligustrum obtusifolium?

I'm pretty sure they are berries. I'm not much of a gardener yet, lol.

Look like flower buds to me. Anyway, the picture does not show a close enough view for the conversation to produce any decisive answers. If you want to try again with a better picture you will probably get better results.

jeserfen, if you cut open the buds/berries, what do you find inside?

floral_uk, my error. I was thinking "some type of Privet?" and typed Box blah, blah. Sorry for the error. CRS strikes again!

I will cut one open after work, missingtheobvious

Farther away. It has those webworms on it, whatwver they are actually called