Dear christinela 8b,
Your plant looks like a pomegranate (_Punica granatum_). If so, it is more of a small tree than a shrub. The former owners probably whacked it curiously because the pomegranate grew too large for its location, becoming out-of-bounds. I suggest digging it up during the winter while it's dormant and relocating it to a position in full-sun, where it can grow happily without the fear of being hacked to death. If it is, indeed, a pomegranate, it should be completely winter hardy in Zone 8b and reward you with fruit.

no ...

they did not prune it weirdly ..

they pruned it IMPROPERLY ... most likely simply shortening it for the window ...

i agree it is a tree planted as a foundation plant ... wrongly sited for the potential of the tree ...

just get rid of it.. if it is too much work to move it ... though to get rid of it.. you have to dig it up anyway .. lol ...

make sure you know where all buried utilities are at your new house.. before you go jumping on shovels to dig near the house

ken

Thank you both so much for the advice! I have decided that we'll remove the plant. Happily we have another in a different part of the garden that the previous owners did not hack up in this way so we'll get to save one.