Elaeagnus ebbingei Eleador - Oleaster

Elaeagnus ebbingei Eleador is a beautiful variety of oleaster with a recent breeding that stands out for the brightness of its foliage strongly coloured with golden-yellow, irregularly edged and splashed with different shades of green. It quickly forms a beautiful evergreen bush, with particularly harmonious and dense growth, which blooms in autumn, like all the Ebbing oleasters, producing small and discreet, white-cream flowers that are pleasantly scented. Elegant and original, it is also very accommodating in terms of soil, but moderately hardy. It will be perfect in a medium to low hedge, or in a large container on the terrace, planted in well-drained soil in summer, even in partial shade and by the seaside.

The variegated Eleador Lannou oleaster belongs to the Elaeagnaceae family, just like Eleagnus ebbingei from which it originates. The latter is a horticultural hybrid that appeared in a garden, through the spontaneous cross-breeding of Eleagnus macrophylla and Eleagnus pungens (possibly Eleagnus reflexa), both native to Japan.

The Eleador (Lannou) cultivar, recently introduced to the market, shows fairly rapid growth and remarkable foliage, but less hardiness than its parent. It forms a ramified, dense and compact bush, reaching on average 1.75 m (5 ft 8 in) in height and 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) in spread, in just a few years. Its foliage, generally evergreen in milder climates, is composed of tough, entire, lanceolate leaves, with a bright yellow to golden-yellow colour, more or less splashed with light green, and with dark green edges. They are borne by dark brown, slightly spiny branches. The new shoots elongate very quickly in spring, with a rust-coloured, silver-tinged hue that is very ornamental. The insignificant flowers appear in the axil of the leaves, from September to November. They are deliciously scented, very honey-producing and nectar-rich. Elaeagnus have a particular root system, which has the ability to enrich the soil, somewhat like the roots of legumes.

An Eleador oleaster bush stands out from afar, due to the clarity and vibrancy of its foliage. Its good branching and harmonious growth make it a perfect plant for containers, but also very easy to use in a coastal garden or a dry garden, in regions with relatively mild winters. As it tolerates pruning well, it can be used very well in a mixed or evergreen hedge, in the company of other beautiful shrubs such as Abelia x grandiflora, Arbutus unedo Compacta, Amelanchier ovalis, Buddleia alternifolia argentea, or Cistus laurifolius. Note that its drought resistance allows it to be grown in poor and even rocky soils.

The fruits of Elaeagnus ebbingei, oval and copper-colored when ripe, 2 cm (0.8 in) long, are edible and very rich in vitamins and minerals. They are harvested in late winter or spring, once they are fully ripe. Pruning the shrub in late summer will compromise autumn flowering and fruit production.