Hand me down Elaeagnus

ABCarve

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Girard, PA
USDA Zone
5a
This was given to me in 2014 at deaths door. I'm not sure of what flavor it is., ie variety. Didn't really want it but I didn't have one and I heard good stories about them. Put it in good soil and let it grow. Did some small cut backs so as it would fit under my lowest shelf. The ground layer shown here was done in 2017 in order to improve a rather lopsided nebari. The bottom was cut off in mid- Febuary 2018. It has yet to flower and I am not even sure when they flower.
 

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They bloom really late in this area. I have one that didn't start blooming until October or November last year (first year I had it). Bill V used to have a really nice one that bloomed a bit earlier, maybe September but I'm not sure. Yours looks like the same as what I have and what Bill had based on leaf size/shape and growth habit.

Looks really happy now.
 
The trunk was pretty straight above the first branch so I thought an air layer maybe the answer. Did the air-layer late Febuary and cut it off mid June. Put in a 5" cascade pot which it totally filled with root in 2 months. The orchid pot its in now is 7" and never skipped a beat repotting. I'm starting to think this is some kind of weed. Now I think there is more potential in the top.
 

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They bloom really late in this area. I have one that didn't start blooming until October or November last year (first year I had it). Bill V used to have a really nice one that bloomed a bit earlier, maybe September but I'm not sure. Yours looks like the same as what I have and what Bill had based on leaf size/shape and growth habit.

Looks really happy now.
I might have been pruning the flower buds off and didn't know it. How late can you prune and still get flowers??
 
Oops! Didn't mean to interrupt your progression!

I'm not sure about the pruning and flowering as I've only had mine for a little over a year. I cut back a couple of times during the summer but not sure when the last cut was. As far as I can recall, the flower buds started showing up in the leaf axils on the newer growth. Maybe send Bill a PM and ask how he used to prune his, I'll be seeing him at his open house in a few weeks and will try to remember to ask about it.
 
I'll be seeing him at his open house in a few weeks and will try to remember to ask about it.
I think I might try to be there Sunday. Maybe I'll see ya. I'm the guy with the beard ;)
 
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Elaeagnus angustifolia - Russian olive. Flowers early summer, fruit ripe in autumn, leaves have Willow leaf shape, very glaucous, very rough black bark on mature trees. Incredibly cold hardy.

Elaeagnus umbellata - autumn olive, leaves with wavy margin, very fragrant flowers spring, from leaf axils along length of previous year's growth. Brown speckled with silver fruit ripens after autumn equinox (typically). Fruit tends to be dry, thin layer of very tart, almost cherry flavor flesh. Seed is soft, easily chewed, with a mild nutty flavor. Too dry to be very tasty for out of hand eating. Very cold hardy, thru zone 4.

Elaeagnus multiflora - goumi berry sometimes also called autumn olive. Larger, more fleshy, better tasting fruit than E umbellata. Fruit is more red color, umbellata is more a speckled brown. Fruit does have fine silver spots, but less conspicuous than umbellata, overall fruit looks more red. Fragrant flowers in spring, leaf axils along length of previous year's growth. Usually fruit is ripe before autumnal equinox. There's some overlap with umbellata, but not much. Hardy thru zone 6 into zone 5, at least 5b, maybe 5a.


Elaeagnus pungens - thorny silver berry, goumi ( fruit) Japanese silverberry, autumn olive. This is not as winter hardy as above, typically only zone 7 hardy. This is the silverberry most often used by Japanese for bonsai. Fragrant flowers in autumn, fruit ripens over winter usually ripe middle or late spring, early summer. Fruit similar to multiflora, maybe slightly larger.

E. Ebbingii (pungens x macrophylla) select cultivars have variegated leaves. Does not make the abundant fruit of species elaeagnus.
 
Elaeagnus angustifolia - Russian olive. Flowers early summer, fruit ripe in autumn, leaves have Willow leaf shape, very glaucous, very rough black bark on mature trees. Incredibly cold hardy.

Elaeagnus umbellata - autumn olive, leaves with wavy margin, very fragrant flowers spring, from leaf axils along length of previous year's growth. Brown speckled with silver fruit ripens after autumn equinox (typically). Fruit tends to be dry, thin layer of very tart, almost cherry flavor flesh. Seed is soft, easily chewed, with a mild nutty flavor. Too dry to be very tasty for out of hand eating. Very cold hardy, thru zone 4.

Elaeagnus multiflora - goumi berry sometimes also called autumn olive. Larger, more fleshy, better tasting fruit than E umbellata. Fruit is more red color, umbellata is more a speckled brown. Fruit does have fine silver spots, but less conspicuous than umbellata, overall fruit looks more red. Fragrant flowers in spring, leaf axils along length of previous year's growth. Usually fruit is ripe before autumnal equinox. There's some overlap with umbellata, but not much. Hardy thru zone 6 into zone 5, at least 5b, maybe 5a.


Elaeagnus pungens - thorny silver berry, goumi ( fruit) Japanese silverberry, autumn olive. This is not as winter hardy as above, typically only zone 7 hardy. This is the silverberry most often used by Japanese for bonsai. Fragrant flowers in autumn, fruit ripens over winter usually ripe middle or late spring, early summer. Fruit similar to multiflora, maybe slightly larger.

E. Ebbingii (pungens x macrophylla) select cultivars have variegated leaves. Does not make the abundant fruit of species elaeagnus.
I think this is pungens by the process of elimination. Leaves are almost white on the underside. Got a pruning strategy??
 
I have an eleagnus, I do most of my hard pruning in the spring. I continue to prune for shape thru the growing season. Mine has just started flowering in the past week, they are late to flower. They are pretty easy plants, I do fully defoliate in spring. I have not done multiple defoliations yet, but may try a full and then a partial to see what happens.
The one you have certainly looks like pungens, and they do have white undersides on the leaves. Sometimes mine will get speckles on the tops of the leaves as well. Looks like a good save!
 
I continue to prune for shape thru the growing season.
Thanks Judy! Good to know about the defoliation. So if you're pruning through the growing season.......how are you not pruning off flower buds? Whats the latest before you put the scissors away? Any rule about last years wood.....etc.?
 
I have yet to get E. umbellata to flower in a training pot. Mine are all recently dug younger plants.

I would try 2 different things. Prune back only once in a growing season, leaving at least 5 internode long branches behind. If you prune to only one or two internodes, you might remove buds.

Or, stop pruning entirely the autumn prior to the autumn you expect bloom. In this case, look closely, perhaps blooms will be on 2 years old wood.

Once you see where it blooms, you should be able to prune to show better.
 
Are these flower buds emerging??
 

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Thanks Judy! Good to know about the defoliation. So if you're pruning through the growing season.......how are you not pruning off flower buds? Whats the latest before you put the scissors away? Any rule about last years wood.....etc.?
Mine is a very well developed one, so I never prune the whole thing back, as the structure is pretty finished. When I say I prune, I take things that are out of the desired silhouette back and mostly just leaf prune the large leaves off and any that obstruct viewing the tree structure. I do this type of pruning all year thru mid summer then let it go. But I always leave areas unpruned, so no risk for no flowering. Just do sectional each year, and rotate areas.
Are these flower buds emerging??
Yes indeed they are, and this is the correct time of year for them. Yay for you!
 
Always wanted to try one. Never come across one in person but seen very nice examples.
 
We just got back from our trip out west, and mine exploded while we were gone. I'll post a pic later! A coming home present!
Did you ever get a chance to get a pic of it in bloom? I've been given free rein to a huge field loaded with these as well as some honeysuckle and some quaking aspens. Found this topic as I was looking into if it would be worth the time to find a nice autumn olive.
 
Did you ever get a chance to get a pic of it in bloom? I've been given free rein to a huge field loaded with these as well as some honeysuckle and some quaking aspens. Found this topic as I was looking into if it would be worth the time to find a nice autumn olive.
Sadly not, as usual there was so much to catch up on after being away, and the flowering was so brief this year with the hot dry weather we had. The field of trees that you have access to is most likely russian olive around here, but if you have a field of silverberry, lucky you!
 
Sadly not, as usual there was so much to catch up on after being away, and the flowering was so brief this year with the hot dry weather we had. The field of trees that you have access to is most likely russian olive around here, but if you have a field of silverberry, lucky you!
Found these while looking into it and you might find it interesting aswell.

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So it would be worth it to scout some out for collecting come spring? What im trying to figure out now is if I should do any cutting now while they are still in the ground or wait till time of collection to bring them down to size a little.
 
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