Elaeagnus ebbingei Limelight - Oleaster

Elaeagnus ebbingei Limelight is a variety of Ebbing's Oleaster with tough and shiny foliage. Beautifully speckled with yellow in the centre, on a light green background, it is ornamental even in winter. This medium-sized, well-branched shrub is also appreciated for its autumn flowering. Nestled in the foliage, its cream-white bells betray their presence with a sweet scent. The flowers give way to edible and decorative fruits, similar to small copper and silver olives. It develops quickly, even in unfavourable conditions, and tolerates pruning well. When associated with other evergreen bushes it forms a screen that is effective against the wind and is bright, colourful, elegant, and welcoming to small fauna in the garden.

The Elaeagnus ebbingei belongs to the Elaeagnaceae family. It is a horticultural hybrid that appeared in a Dutch garden in 1928, resulting from the spontaneous cross-breeding of Eleagnus macrophylla and Eleagnus pungens (possibly Eleagnus reflexa), both native to Japan. The 'Limelight' cultivar stands out with its yellow variegated foliage.

This bush offers rapid growth, good hardiness, and good resistance to summer drought. It has a bushy spreading habit and well-branched vegetation. It reaches an average height of 3m (9.8 ft) with a spread of 2.50m (6.6 ft). Its foliage consists of young silver leaves that unfold into tough, entire, lanceolate leaves, 6 to 10 cm (3.9 in) long, with a bright yellow to cream colour bordered by green, a pearly green with small bronze speckles underneath. The young stems are intensely punctuated with bronze-brown, just like the juvenile leaves in spring. The new shoots rapidly elongate in spring, with a highly ornamental rusty silver colour. The rather inconspicuous flowers appear in the axil of the leaves from September to November, and are not very visible. They are small cream-white bells, 1 to 2 cm (0.8 in) long, composed of 4 petals, and gathered in small clusters. They are deliciously scented, very honey-producing and nectar-rich. These flowers are followed by small elongated oval fruits, copper-coloured at maturity, containing an oily seed. These fruits, rich in vitamins and antioxidants, are edible for humans and appreciated by birds. When harvested ripe in April, some of these fruits have a flavour reminiscent of plums. Elaeagnus plants have a unique root system that has the ability to enrich the soil, similar to the roots of legumes.

Ideal for trimmed hedges or untrimmed and as a windbreak, Elaeagnus Limelight can also be grown as a standalone specimen and in shrub borders. It can cope in hot, dry regions in summer and in seaside gardens, as it tolerates salt spray. This bush will bring life to the slightly shady areas of the garden and add a touch of whimsy to dull borders. Pair it, in an evergreen hedge, with the classic Elaeagnus x ebbingei, Photinia Red Robin, Viburnum tinus, variegated or non-variegated Portuguese laurel, strawberry tree, Cotoneaster lacteus, Rhamnus alaternus, Mexican orange blossom or variegated Aucuba, according to your region and climate.