What is this plant?

We moved into a new house and there are some bushes in our front yard that we can't figure out what they are. At first we thought they were rosebushes, but they are not. The wood and stems look like that of rose bushes, but there are no thorns. The leaves are a dark glossy green, they look a little like holly leaves, just smaller. We live in Utah, and the bushes are planted in full sun. Our neighbors said that when the people that lived here before put them in last year, that the bushes were beautiful, with tropical looking flowers, but that the day after they planted them the deer came and ate them at night. So now they look like a poodle's fur does with patches of leaves then bare stems and more patches of leaves. They haven't gotten any flowers yet. I don't know if the deer are still eating them and that is why they don't seem to be filling in or what. But if anyone has any idea what they could be please let me know. I have looked and haven't found anything. Thanks!

What is this plant?
Buy and gun and kill those deer.
Reply:Hi, maybe they are Gardenias! But the full sun doesn't sound right. Maybe their Hibiscis...but the disription of the leaves doen't match either. Well, I just don't know for sure now, I thought Gardenias, than Hibiscis, Gosh, Don't ever take me shopping! I can never make up my mind! Bye
Reply:Are the leaves oval ? Or more like Oak or Holly? Wasn't sure if you meant shape or color ? If you mean color , maybe Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) ? If shape , maybe Osmanthus ? I'll see if I can find pics . A little out of my element , discussing Utah %26amp; arid landscapes. I do know of one variety of nearly thornless rose ,' Zephrine Drouhin'. I wouldn't call that 'tropical-looking' , but have heard even more incongruent descriptions of things .****





Gracie could be right . I thought of that, but "leaves like holly " made me put it aside . That it? If they were constantly chewed , the leaves could be %26lt; 1" . Have seen that .





http://summerhillseeds.com/hibiscus-disc...





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmanthus





http://www.floridata.com/ref/P/images/pr...





****On Mothers' Day Sat, had a guy ask for " Those tropical-looking chartruese things that you have every year . My mom really likes 'em ." Me : (non-verbally) "Huh?" As it was a guy,(color-blind?) %26amp; he might have seen it not fully open , I showed him everything yellow, or white . "No! Not it , besides, it was chartreuse. " ( How many Bubba-types do you ever hear saying "chartreuse"?;D I went a got a bunch of stuff , that wasn't ready , so not in the public greenhouses ) "Nope " I went for one more thing that was in with the houseplants. "No, we found it , hiding down in the corner I guess it was a chartruesy red . That might have confused you."





It was a magenta-colored geranium . Me , in my head : "Oh, the magenta-chatreuse, not the chartreuse-chartreuse. How stupid of me! ;D"
Reply:Maybe a swamp hibiscus?





http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...