Thorny Olive (Elaeagnus pungens) is a durable, evergreen shrub native to China and Japan that thrives in USDA zones 7 through 9. This vigorous grower reaches 12 to 15 feet tall and spreads 15 to 18 feet wide, displaying lustrous green leaves with distinctive silvery-white undersides dotted with tiny brown scales. Come October and November, small creamy white bell-shaped flowers release a remarkable fragrance, followed by showy fruit that birds adore. It's a shrub built for tough conditions, handling drought, poor soil, clay, and urban pollution with ease while remaining naturally deer-resistant.
Partial Sun
Moderate
7-9
180in H x 216in W
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Moderate
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The silvered foliage alone makes this shrub worth growing, creating a luminous quality in the garden that catches light throughout the year. Its fragrant late-season flowers arrive when most shrubs have faded, filling autumn air with an unexpected sweetness, and the showy fruit that follows feeds birds through winter. This is a plant that actually improves under neglect once established, handling drought and infertile soil where fussier shrubs would languish.
Thorny Olive works exceptionally well as a durable hedge or screen, particularly in difficult sites where other plants struggle. Its dense, vigorous growth habit makes it useful for naturalizing in landscapes, where its birds-attracting fruit and architectural form add year-round structure and wildlife value.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Prune Thorny Olive to manage its vigorous, sprawling growth and remove long, branchless shoots that emerge from the top of the shrub, which have a tendency to climb and attach to overhead structures if left unchecked. Shape as a hedge by cutting back in late winter or early spring before new growth begins. Remove any dead or diseased wood, and thin crowded interior branches to improve air circulation and reduce pest pressure.
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“Elaeagnus pungens originates from the temperate regions of China and Japan, where it has been valued for centuries as a hardy, practical shrub. The species entered Western cultivation as gardeners discovered its remarkable ability to thrive in challenging conditions. Its common names, thorny elaeagnus and silverthorn, reflect the distinctive spiny branchlets and silvery leaf undersides that make it instantly recognizable. Over time, it earned a reputation as one of the most durable broad-leaved evergreens available to gardeners in cooler zones.”