Oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia)

Oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia) is a shrub that can grow 3m – 8m tall and 3m – 8m wide. In this growing guide we’ll learn the cultivation details and how to plant Oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia).

This plant has several common names including: oleaster, Bohemian oleaster, Russian olive, silver berry, Trebizond date or wild olive.

This is a deciduous plant that takes 5-10 years to reach full maturity.

Plant profile

Common name: oleaster, Bohemian oleaster, Russian olive, silver berry, Trebizond date, wild olive
Scientific name: Elaeagnus angustifolia
Plant type: Shrubs
Habit: Spreading / Branched
Height: 3m – 8m
Spread: 3m – 8m
Foliage: Deciduous
Sunlight: Full Sun
Soil: Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Moisture: Moist but well drained, Well drained
Garden type: Coastal, Informal Garden
Planting type: Flower borders and bedding, Hedging & Screens, Low Maintenance
Other characteristics: Drought resistant, Plants for pollinators

Seasonal colors

How to plant Oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia) – 攝影師, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Shrubs are fundamental elements in any garden.

They add color and interest throughout the seasons with their wide variety of flowers, foliage, fruits, trunks and stems.

Whatever the size or style of your garden, the permanent woody structure or the foliage of evergreen shrubs will give the space shape and dimension.

How to plant

In this section we will learn how to plant Oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia), know its needs in terms of soil, watering and sun exposure.

Soil

Oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia) is a plant that adapts to all types of soils, chalk, clay, loam or sand.

• The chalky soil is pale and contains chunks of calcium-rich rock. It is a fertile and well-draining soil, almost always alkaline.

• Clay soil is composed of more than 25 percent clay particles. These particles have a high moisture holding capacity and the soil is heavy to dig and can be waterlogged in winter (dry in summer).

• The loam soil is dark, rich in organic matter but balanced in minerals. It offers the best of all worlds, retaining enough water for the plants, but allowing excess moisture to drain away. This is the most desired type of garden soil, perfect for most plants.

• Sandy soil is light, porous and very easy to drain. It is a soil poor in organic matter and nutrients. It is composed of relatively large mineral particles that allow water to drain quickly.

It is not very sensitive to soil acidity or alkalinity and grows well in soils with pH acid, alkaline or neutral.

Regarding drainage, Elaeagnus angustifolia likes to grow in moist but well drained or well drained soils.

Sunlight

Oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia) should be grown in full sun places.

Cultivation profiles – Growing Oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia) – Georg Slickers, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons