Seedless Thornless Silverthorn Elaeagnus x ebbingei Mr. Smooth® Seedless 'NCEX1'
Other Common Name(s):
- Description
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Mr. Smooth is an evergreen cultivar of the Asian oleaster in the Oleaster family (Elaeagnaceae) bred by Dr. Tom Ranney of NCSU. It is a sterile, compact shrub growing 4 to 6 feet tall and wide.
Mr. Smooth prefers full sun to partial shade in well-drained, average garden soils with a pH of slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. Keep the soil moist until well established, then provide supplemental water during dry periods. It is deer, heat, salt and rabbit tolerant.
The evergreen foliage is a striking silver-green on a dense, compact thornless shrub that stays attractive year-round. In the fall, small cream-colored bell-shaped flowers appear, having a strong gardenia-type fragrance and attracting late-season pollinators. The flowers are sterile and produce no seed.
Use Mr. Smooth in a hedge, as a foundation plant,or in the border of a winter, coastal, Asian or pollinator garden.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious insect or disease problems.
- See this plant in the following landscape :
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Elaeagnus
- Species:
- × ebbingei
- Family:
- Elaeagnaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Wildlife Value:
- Flowers attract late seson pollinators
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Dense
- Erect
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Description:
- No fryits or seeds
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Cream/Tan
- White
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Flower Shape:
- Bell
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Creamy white bell-shaped flowers appear in the leaf axils in the fall. Although they are not particularly showy, they are very fragrant with a gardenia-like scent.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Gray/Silver
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Leathery
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Undulate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The silver-green leaves are alternate and simple with silvery-gray undersides. 2 to 5 inches long and 1.5 to 2.75 inches wide. Margins are subtly wavy.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Smooth, spine-free stems.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Lawn
- Landscape Theme:
- Asian Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Foundation Planting
- Hedge
- Screen/Privacy
- Small groups
- Attracts:
- Pollinators
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Heat
- Rabbits
- Salt
