It doesn't quite look right for a Pink Delight. Maybe a Buddlia alternifolia? Though it's not quite right for that either. I am sure someone will know for sure. It's quite beautiful for a mystery plant.

Lisa

The flowers look more like a spirea, so I started googling and this is what I came up with.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/shrubs/spiraea_xbilliardii.html

Scientific Name
Spiraea x billiardii

Common Name
Billiard spirea

Hardiness Zones: 3 to 6
Habit: Deciduous
Site Requirements: Sun; range of soil types except wet
Height: 6 feet
Width: --
Flower/Fruit: Rose flowers on 4 to 8" narrow, dense pyramidal panicle
Foliage: Alternate, simple serrated leaves; upright habit
Comments: Suckers
Cultivars: Triumphans: Purplish rose flowers in dense, conical panicles; late flowering

It's not exactly right but pretty close. Again a very cool plant.

Lisa

Lisa -- I think you've found it! The upright habit (almost columnar) is definitely right, the flowers look right, and in fact a spirea of some form would make some sense as there were quite a few others on the property, though most of them run-of-the-mill Bridal Veil (white fountains). But it might hint at a fondness for spireas by previous landscapers or owners.

This is almost certainly the plant, and I am thrilled to know what it is (also glad I didn't yank it for the compost pile last year, which I came THIS close to doing...). I would never have thought of a spirea. This fall, I will move it to the full sun butterfly garden and see how it fares there. The flowers are a stunning pink so I'd love to see if I can get it to produce more.

Thank you both for responding so quickly!

It's undisputedly 'Triumphans'.
I'm somewhat fond to spireas as well, but never seen S.billiardii for sale localy and for some reasonI haven't seen it in private landscapes, though I know one place where it growing happily in a commercial ladscape.
Actualy reason is well known, it could grow as tall as a fully grown buddleia i.e. 8-10', but with a shorter bloom time.
However it could be cut down after the first flash and rebloom in late September given the proper lighting condition.
IMO, in our climate it could be combined with a buddleia for the continuous bloom from July till end of September.
At least it's not a common plant.
Could you try to root cuttings for me?
If you wish to, I could root bi-colored TRUE Genpei/Shirobana for you for the fall swap.
TIA,
George

Just to show you what you [potentialy] dealing with.
Link is below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Triumphans

Hi George -- Glad you agree! And very glad I didn't deep-six the poor thing last year (I was sorely tempted!) Why on earth someone put it in dense shade (between a Deutzia Slender and a golden euonymous) is quite beyond me, but explains why the poor thing just sat there for the first two years we were here. It is clearly happier in partial sun it now has (hence the "thank you" blooms! ;) and I assume would be happier still in the sunny butterfly garden, between the two butterfly bushes already there?

I would be delighted to try root cuttings for you but have never in my life done that -- maybe you could email me some instructions (or a good online source of clear directions)? I've only rooted stem cuttings of plants in the past. As a question, is this likely to behave like other spireas when transplanted (as it will have to be at some point) -- i.e., is it likely to break into multiple root sections? (If so, I could move it earlier rather than later in the season and just pot you up a chunk?)

Just let me know. I'm pleased to learn what it is ... I wonder how long it's been languishing in the full shade at the front of the house. The previous owner was definitely NOT a gardener, so I imagine she never even knew what it was. The flowers were a complete surprise to me this year (it's a rather nondescript shrub without them but they are quite beautiful!) Happy to share it, just have no clue how to do root cuttings! ;)

/ Marty

Oh MY! It has some growing to do!! (Though to its credit, it is already about four times larger this year, at the end bed in partial sun, than it was last year, when I moved it to this bed.) Here is a picture of it right now (and if you notice that VERY dark shade around the corner of the house ... that's the type of light it was growing in when we bought the house. Poor little thing, no wonder it didn't grow! (There are also two enormous old maples in front... so between the trees and the house overhang, the front beds are in constant shade during most of the growing season. Great spot for a sun-loving spirea! :)

{{gwi:1084770}}

Marty,
Very cool spirea, I love how fuzzy it is, and better yet that it will re-bloom. My common spireas bloom at the same time as lilac does this one as well? kt

Kt - Definitely not with the lilacs -- it is just coming into bloom now. I'm glad I posted the pictures because I would never have thought of spirea as an option, given how upright the flowerheads are (much more butterfly-bush-like in habit than the spireas I'm familiar with!)

And George ... I just read your post again and I think you mean just to root some cuttings (not to make "root cuttings"), yes? If so, I can certainly do that! If you want "root cuttings" and not cuttings that are rooted, you'll have to send me instructions ;)

LOL Marty - You read too fast. George wants you to root (stem) cuttings not start root cuttings. I have never done that either. I was surprised when you started talking about never having done "that" - it seemed very unlikely! That is a pretty spirea. Glad you got an ID.

Marty, I was talking about rooting stem cuttings, not a root cuttings propagation :-)
It might behave as 'other spireas' and fall apart during the transplantation, but your plant doesn't look like it have wide enough base to do that on its own, so just in case root some cuttings, please. There are still plenty of time till fall for them to root if you will cut it in a half after the bloom and root your 'pruning garbage'.
I just read about it on a Russian gardening forum and they say that it blooms from mid-July for about two weeks and after pruning reblooms from October till first snow (which is also in October :-))
They have much shorter season than we have :-)
BTW, that plant on a link is 2 meters+ which is 7' and been cut back every spring to 12-15".

Yep! I either read too fast or think too slowly ... never sure which it is (or which is worse!) Occupational hazard of working at a computer all day ... the mind goes numb but the fingers keep going! ;)

So I shall ROOT some CUTTINGS for George (and anyone else who would like one) for the fall plant swap :)

I fertilised buddleia flowers last year with pollen from pink spiraea, on the basis that they are very similar plants. I now have lots of potentially hybridised seeds to plant.

I am sorry to have to tell you this, but from everything I know about hybridizing, parents of hybrids need to be more closely related than Spiraea and Buddleia. One can get hybrids of different genera (plural of genus) occasionally and often of different species, but Spiraea and Buddleia are different families, and I know of no cross-family hybrids. It's always amazing to me how similar forms on plants are produced by different genetics.