Rhamnus alaternus Argenteovariegata - Italian Buckthorn

Rhamnus alaternus Argenteovariegata, the variegated form of the Alaternus Buckthorn, is one of the most beautiful shrubs for dry shade gardens. Its spring flowering, discreet but fragrant, is followed by pretty red berries on the female plants, which turn black when ripe and delight birds in autumn. Elegant, bright and dense, and attractive all year round, it is perfectly adapted to these particularly difficult areas to design, such as root-infested woodlands and coastal gardens exposed to sea spray. 

Alaternus Buckthorn can be found in fallow land, hedges, at the edge of forests, and even in oak and pine woodlands. It is also present in Turkey, Israel, Libya, and Ukraine. This particularly robust species is actually used in reforestation programs after wildfires. Rhamnus alaternus belongs to the Rhamnaceae family, and is a relative of the alder buckthorn (Nerprun purgatif) and the ceanothus. It is a dioecious shrub, with individuals being either male or female. It can live for many years in the garden.

The 'Argenteovariegata' variety stands out with its beautifully variegated white foliage, which should be protected from harsh sunlight. This shrub has a bushy, branched, upright and somewhat stiff habit; it can reach a height of 3 m (9 ft 10 in) to 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) and a spread of 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) to 1.75 m (5 ft 8 in), or even more in fertile soil. Its growth rate is moderate, around 20 to 30 cm (7.9 to 11.8 in) per year. Its dark brown branches bear small, alternate leaves measuring 2 to 5 cm (0.8 to 2 in) in length, which are entire, ovate to lanceolate in shape, leathery, and often toothed and cartilaginous along the edges. The upper surface of the lamina is shiny, ranging from grey-green to dark green, irregularly edged with cream-white and silvery reflections. Flowering occurs from March to May, depending on the climate, in the form of tiny yellowish to greenish flowers, devoid of petals, grouped in small clusters in the axils of the leaves. They are not very visible, but pleasantly fragrant, attracting many pollinating insects. Only the female plants, in the presence of male plants, produce these pretty red berries, highlighted by the light foliage. This variety prefers hot and dry climates in summer, as well as rocky, well-drained soils with a tendency towards limestone.

Because it is difficult to design a dry woodland populated with old trees, a garden where the soil is full of rocks, or a resistant and well-shaded hedge by the sea, horticulturists have selected this variegated Rhamnus, a true all-terrain shrub. Forming a bright silver mass, with good hardiness down to -10/-12 °C in well-drained soil, and perfectly self-sufficient once established, the variegated Buckthorn is a beautiful subject to plant in a hedge or in a bed of easy-to-grow shrubs in mild climates, or even as a standalone specimen, at the corner of a grove of small trees, for example. It forms part, along with Filarias, Pistacia lentiscus, Tin Laurel, Myrtus tarentina Variegata, and strawberry trees, of these indispensable shrubs for creating the evergreen structure of a dry garden, even in the roots of oaks or pines.