The first photo looks like a Lilac, not sure about the second one, perhaps a Elm Tree?

Sharon

Do you remember if either has had any flowers on, and if so what they look like?

The serrated leaves in the top photo suggest something more along the lines of apple or crab-apple, rather than lilac...some fruit might be visible somewhere, if so.
I agree with elm for the second.
The description of these as "shrubs" is confusing...are these actually trees or suckers that have been hacked back, by any chance? (If so, there might not be any fruit on the top one, after all...)

I haven't seen any sign of flowering of fruiting on either plant and I know they haven't been pruned at least in the last five years or so. The lack of flowers/fruit is what has me stumped as well. They were both about 6' before I got to them and definitely shrub-like as in many stems. There is a lilac in the yard as well as mock orange and Nanking Cherry and they are fine and flowering.
Kate

I agree #2 looks like an Elm except it lacks the lopsided leaf base. If I remember correctly, all Elms have a conspicuous inequilateral leaf base. But, my memory could be failing me!
The other thing....it is described as a shrub. An Elm is a tree but it could look like a shrub if it was suckering. Is there by any chance the remains of an old stump in the center of that shrub?

Jan

O.K. I just went out back and checked the Elms...suckers and all. Definitely they have the lopsided leaf base...except newer growth doesn't always show that feature. Also, the suckers had some stems where the asymetrical base was not yet apparent. So....its an Elm despite the lack of this classic feature in the photo. I still would like to know if there is an old stump in the center of that 'shrub'.
Jan

98% sure the second pic is a Nanking Cherry. I thought of a Chinese Elm, which has those compound pinnate leaves with no lopsided leaf base (which Jan is quite right about in American Elms). But I took a picture of a trimming of my Nanking Cherry and it looks the same, especially those long feathery stipules at the leaf nodes. It also has a tendency to form a suggestion of three lobes like I see in yours. Then my camera battery died and I am charging it so I will get the pic on later.

About the first pic - I'm not sure but it does look a little familiar. Don't think it's lilac, the leaves on mine are leatherier looking.

Pics as per last post...

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This looks yellow due to lighting

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For comparison:
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I made some assumptions on the second picture posted by Kate.
#1 She said there was a Nanking Cherry in the yard, so I assumed that the unknown shrub was different than a Nanking.
#2 She described it as having many stems. I took this to mean many stems coming individually from the ground rather than M/L from a central root stalk. An incorrect assumption on my part?

Kate, how does the unidentified shrub differ from the Nanking?

Northspruce. Hate to assume again! ...but I assume by Chineese elm you are talking about Ulmus pumila (AKA as Siberian Elm.). You are certainly correct that U. pumila does not have the lopsided base. The other elm commonly called the Chinese Elm, Ulmus parvifolia, does have alopsided base. The link below discusses the two species including the use of the common names.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ulmus parvifolia & U. pumila

Nanking cherry, P tomentosa, is best identified by the hairs on the underside of the leaf( tomentosa in latin means hairs). Also, the buds are much like double flowering plums in that they have groups of many small points rather then one round bud. Hope this helps.
Andre

Here is a link that might be useful: my web page

Jan - clued me in about the elms - I didn't know that's what Chinese Elms were. U. Pumila is the only one we get around here as far as I know, and I have heard it called both Chinese and Siberian but I guess Chinese is wrong if that's something else.

The Siberian Elm has very hard, coarse scratchy hairs on the top and bottom sides of the leaves. They catch at the fingers. Nanking Cherries, as Prairie Roots noted, have softer hairs.

Will go and have another look based on everyone's questions and give you more information to go on but to Dentabow, yes you are right on both assumptions.
Kate