Ebbinge's silverberry

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; tolerates fairly deep shade but grows less densely.

Water

Water regularly while establishing. Once established, it tolerates dry spells, though prolonged drought can cause leaf drop.

Soil

Well-drained soil, including sandy, chalky and moderately clayey ground; tolerates poor soil and a wide pH range. Avoid persistently wet sites.

Height

10-13 ft (3-4 m)

Spread

10-13 ft (3-4 m)

Flowers

Small, creamy-white, intensely fragrant flowers in autumn, tucked into the leaf axils; sometimes followed by reddish, silver-speckled fruit in spring.

Foliage

Evergreen. Oval, leathery, dark green leaves with silver-scaled undersides; young leaves and shoots have a silvery or brownish coating.

Growth

Fast, especially in mild climates.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen
• Fragrant

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   5 ft (1.4 m)

3. After 2 years

   8 ft (2.3 m)

4. After 3 years

   11 ft (3.3 m)

5. After 5 years

   11 ft (3.5 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Fast

• Water deeply during dry weather through the first two growing seasons.
• Apply a 2-3 in (5-8 cm) mulch over the root area, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Avoid routine nitrogen feeding; this shrub fixes nitrogen and usually needs little fertilizer.
• Plant where water drains freely rather than collecting around the roots.
• Give an unclipped plant room to spread, or trim regularly while young to build a dense hedge.

Pruning. Prune in spring after the risk of severe frost, removing damaged wood and shortening long shoots. Trim hedges again in early to midsummer if needed; late-summer clipping removes some of the wood that would carry autumn flowers.

Spring

Remove frost-damaged shoots once new growth shows which stems are alive.

Spring

Plant in colder areas and renew mulch without burying the stem bases.

Early summer

Trim hedges and shorten wayward shoots, checking for nesting birds before cutting.

Summer

Water young plants deeply during dry spells and inspect stressed foliage for pests.

Late summer

Take semi-ripe cuttings from healthy, nonflowering shoots.

Autumn

Enjoy the fragrant flowers; plant new shrubs in mild climates while the soil is still warm.

Winter

Check newly planted shrubs after strong winds and firm any loosened rootballs.

• Plant as a dense evergreen boundary hedge where there is room for its width.
• Use as a coastal windbreak behind more delicate shrubs and perennials.
• Place near a path or seating area so the autumn flower fragrance is noticeable.
• Use its dark foliage as a background for pale flowers, ornamental grasses and silver-leaved plants.

Garden styles it suits: Coastal, Low-maintenance, Mediterranean, Formal, Winter interest and Sensory garden.

Plant it with: Lavender, Rosemary, Rock rose, Santolina, New Zealand flax and Feather reed grass.

Wildlife: Autumn flowers provide nectar for bees and other insects when fewer shrubs are flowering. Dense growth offers shelter and nesting cover, and birds may eat the fruit where it develops.

• Root rot in waterlogged soil: improve drainage or move the shrub; do not keep the root zone constantly wet.
• Elaeagnus sucker can cause pale mottling, distorted growth and sticky honeydew: encourage natural predators and, where necessary, use a locally approved insecticidal soap according to its label.
• Scale insects can weaken shoots and leave honeydew: prune heavily infested growth and treat susceptible stages with a locally approved horticultural oil.
• Severe frost or drying winter winds can scorch leaves and kill shoot tips: shelter young plants and wait until spring before cutting back damaged wood.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. No part is generally recognized as poisonous, although animal-specific information is limited; do not use ornamental prunings as livestock feed.

Where it spreads. Reported escaping cultivation in the southeastern United States. Its spread is less widely documented than that of autumn olive or thorny olive; check local invasive-plant guidance before planting near natural areas.

• Thorny olive (Elaeagnus pungens)

  Usually has more noticeably wavy leaf margins and thorny, scrambling shoots. Ebbinge's silverberry is generally more upright and less thorny, though the two can be difficult to separate.

• Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)

  Deciduous, with generally smaller, thinner leaves; it flowers in spring and bears silver-speckled red fruit in autumn.

• Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia)

  A deciduous shrub or small tree with much narrower, silvery leaves and yellowish flowers in late spring or early summer.

The hybrid epithet ebbingei commemorates the Dutch horticulturist J. W. E. Ebbinge, while silverberry refers to the silvery scales on the fruit.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings in late summer and root them in a free-draining medium with protection from drying out. Layering low branches is another option; seed does not reliably reproduce the hybrid or named cultivars.

Accepted botanical name

Elaeagnus ebbingei

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.