I live in Powdersville, and found several of these weeping bushes in the woods as we cut away the bitter orange bushes and other scrub. The leaves look at bit like camelia/laurel, but not as shiny. runners are really long. I live in a neighborhood, but these woods I don’t think have been touched for many years; prior to neighborhood it sat vacant for a long time. We live on the Saluda River, so it’s shady and moist area that they are growing in. the branches are long and have a weeping appearance in the bigger bushes.
Hi Lucinda,
one of the images you submitted looked like a flower bud. This in combination with the other characters makes me think that you have silverthorn, Elaeagnus pungens, a somewhat invasive but interesting non-native shrub. I see that it is growing with English ivy, another invasive plant, so this is not a natural area. To help confirm this, go to this link: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/elaeagnus-pungens/
Sincerely,
Dr. Steven Hill, Botanist, SCNPS