can anyone help to identify this please?

I have a couple of these + a golden leafed one also. I know it as a Himalayan Honeysuckle but not sure of the latin name. It's quite hardy lasted the winter here in Northumberland even the goldenone that I expected would have vanished after last winter.

Your plant is Leycesteria formosca and it is a very pretty plant although it can get a bit out of hand at times and will self seed it's self round the garden.

Haven't noticed whether the birds will eat the berries in the winter though...

Hi Kristle,

Robyn was up much earlier than me and beat me to it!  Yes, your plant is a Leycesteria, a very attractive garden plant.  I have never noticed the birds eating the berries either but you never know.

SB

Thank you so much folks, very much appreciated,

We actually had a bamboo plant in the same spot which went to seed then quickly died, we cut the bamboo down to a small clump, then this started to appear from the small clump of bamboo resulting in a nice surprise, it looked amazing during the summer. I have many garden birds of different species and there main feeding station is very near this plant but I've not seen a bird go any where near it nor its berries. Perhaps a bird kindly dropped its seed in our garden.

I have this plant in the garden. It's wonderful for the Bees and other pollinating insects. It doesn't have much benefit bird wise, but it's invaluable for bugs. It will die down in the winter and then re-appear in the Spring. It's a vigorous shrub and will grow and spread very quickly. Prolific self-seeder too. A wonderful wildlife plant though. 

The golden one certainly adds a bit of zing with its lovely bright leaves, doesn't seem to be as tall, mine has only reached about 4feet. Like Lynnettemj says great for the beasties who seem to like this as much as the normal on which is brilliant.

many thanks again everyone,

i find it to be a marvelous long flowering plant and to spring up frpm no where was a real delight, its funny that it grew out from the old bamboo stumps as its stems are quite bamboo like I think.

I think its flowers are very oriental majestic looking, any self seeders can be passed on, as I don't know any one else who has one.

I'll cut it back quite hard soon I think, the frost left it a bit sorry looking today, it seems do have grown a treat where it stands.

What a smashing freebie, and all the better for knowing what it is now.

Yes you can cut it back hard but being that we are going through a very cold spell at the moment i'd personally just leave it now as the frost may get into the cut stems and kill some of them off. Spring time will be a much better time with less risk from frost damage but of course it's completely your choice. It will die down to the ground and leave barely a trace that it was even there but come Spring it'll pop back up bigger and stronger than the previous yeras growth.

i'll take your advice thanks and leave it to die down its self, i was just going by what i had read to do ( now that i have an id for it I googled some info) much better to let it run its course naturally.

thanks again, kind regards, K.