Silver berry (Elaeagnus commutata)

Silver berry (Elaeagnus commutata) is a shrub that can grow 3m – 8m tall and 1.5m – 3m wide. In this growing guide we’ll learn the cultivation details and how to plant Silver berry (Elaeagnus commutata).

This plant has several common names including: silver berry or silverberry.

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

Plant profile

Common name: silver berry, silverberry
Scientific name: Elaeagnus commutata
Plant type: Shrubs
Habit: Suckering
Height: 3m – 8m
Spread: 1.5m – 3m
Foliage: Deciduous
Sunlight: Full Sun
Soil: Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Moisture: Moist but well drained, Well drained
Garden type: Coastal, Wildlife Gardens
Planting type: Hedging & Screens
Other characteristics: Drought resistant, Plants for pollinators

Seasonal colors

How to plant Silver berry (Elaeagnus commutata) – Nucatum amygdalarum, CC BY-SA 4.0, 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 Silver berry (Elaeagnus commutata), know its needs in terms of soil, watering and sun exposure.

Soil

Silver berry (Elaeagnus commutata) 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 commutata likes to grow in moist but well drained or well drained soils.

Sunlight

Silver berry (Elaeagnus commutata) should be grown in full sun places.

Cultivation profiles – Growing Silver berry (Elaeagnus commutata) – Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons