Elaeagnus

Sun/part shade. Evergreen, with distinctive grey-green foliage. Leaves are oval, greenish and scaly on top, silvery underneath.

Elaeagnus is a very large, sprawling shrublike specimen up to 15 feet tall. During the growing season, it shoots up numerous tall branchless, bowing canes; this habit makes it fairly easy to ID. Despite the name, the thorns refer simply the stout young stems, which will eventually mature into soft, flexible branches.

As a landscape specimen, elaeagnus tolerates heat, drought, and hedging, makes an excellent screen, and provides decent wildlife habitat. It’s great for planting in the middle of a big lawn. However it’s not at all appropriate for small spaces. Multiple forms are available, including variegated (‘Maculata’) and dwarf (‘Nana’).