Any way you can get a closer photo? Floral has some amazing eyesight when it comes to plant ID photos but at that distance, I think we would only be guessing.

Broadleaved evergreen shrubs that grow happily in a zone 5-6 constitute a very short list :-) The wax myrtle would be well out of its range.

How about Myrica pensylvanica?

That is certainly a possibility but it is not evergreen.........

Thanks everyone for your responses! I understand it's difficult from this photo. I thought I'd give this group a shot because folks seem so knowledgable. I wish I could post a better photo, but this was the best photo I have and the zoo is about an hour away. If I get to Toledo again, I will do a better job investigating.

Okay, I've been googling around and I am beginning to suspect it might be some sort of holly. I considered rhododendron, but they seldom look so happy or large in winter in our zone. I also thought about evergreen virbinium, I can't find many evergreen virbinium photos.

I'd email the Zoo with your picture and ask them.

It might be andromeda.

Are you absolutely sure it's an evergreen? It looks there are still leaves on the surrounding trees, which makes me wonder if the photos was taken in the fall.

I wondered that when GG told me Myrica pensylvanica is deciduous.

If by Andromeda you mean Pieris, I don't think it's that. By clicking on the picture it will enlarge and you can see the foliage shape, habit and density. Doesn't look like Pieris to me.

It's Bayberry

Based on what can be seen, not the pieris/andromeda and not an evergreen viburnum. The wax myrtle/bayberry is the best option so far but not evergreen.

If you are looking for an evergreen shrub, a few hardy hollies may be a good choice. Pieris could work but unlikely to ever grow that large or that dense in your location. The very tough PJM rhodies could work, but again will not get that full or tall. And the evergreen viburnums are not very likely to be fully evergreen in your area either :-)

floral_UK, Emailing the zoo is a great idea! Why didn't I think of that?

saccharum - You are right about the leaves on the tree. I double checked the date of the photo. I thought I had taken it in December, but it was actually taken in Early November. That was the height of color...so now I'm not sure if that means this is evergreen or not. It certainly looks good for November.

Maybe Bayberry or Myrtle drop leaves late? I am not familar with those trees.

gardengal48 - Thanks for the recommendation.

To all, thanks for even more thoughts!

Northern Bayberry is the common name for Myrica pensylvanica, which I suggested above.

floral_uk

I checked out the Bayberry - Myrica pennsylvanica on google. That certainly looks like my photo. Someone decribed it as "tardily deciduous" so I'm guessing that the tree just drops it's leaves very late.

Bummer, I really had my hopes up for an evergreen solution.

I don't know Toledo, but I do know Erie. The lake shore is arguably zone 7, and then it gets colder the further south, away from the lake, you go. If that holds for the western part of the lake, then the Toledo Zoo is probably a solid to warm 6b. So a shrub that may or may not be deciduous depending on the winters may not be deciduous there.

If that is so is it possible that my initial suggestion of M cerifera is feasible given a very sheltered location and microclimate?

Another possibility is inkberry holly, Ilex glabra.

Here is the Missouri Botanical Garden’s page on inkberry.

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=276153&isprofile=1&basic=Ilex%20glabra

I think your photo is more likely one of the Myrica, but this might be a plant to look into.

Maybe you could try mountain laurel if deer levels and exposure are favorable.

I grew up in Cleveland and almost never saw mountain laurel. I am not sure how well suited the soils are for Kalmia, so it would be worth checking before spending money on them. Parts of N OH have quite a bit of lime, and where I grew up, a couple of miles from the lake, the soils were tight clays.