(Russian Olive)

Russian olive is a large deciduous shrub or small tree that's remarkably hardy and beautiful but known to be invasive. It is native to southern Europe, Russia, central Asia and parts of China where it inhabits coastal regions, lake shores, dry river beds and mountainous areas. It has also become naturalized throughout much of North America. In addition to its graceful habit and silvery leaves it is valued for its edible fruit, quality timber and fast-growing nature.

The narrow, lance-shaped leaves...

(Red King Russion Olive, Russion Olive)

Russian olive is a large, deciduous shrub or small tree. It is native to southern Europe, central Asia and parts of China. The narrow, lance-shaped leaves are green above and silvery, gray-green below. Its brown, scaly, often thorny branches are covered with exfoliating bark that adds winter interest. The cultivar ‘Red King’ has silvery white, strongly fragrant flowers with yellow centers occur in late spring or early summer and are followed by edible, red-rust, olive-like fruit.

Russian olive...

(Silverthorn, Thorny Olive)

Thorny olive is a large evergreen shrub to small tree native to China and Japan where it exists along open slopes and thickets near the oceanside or waterways. It has also become naturalized in the southeastern United States where it is considered a problematic invasive shrub. It is fast-growing, tough and grows well in difficult areas but has a coarse, informal look that is visually unappealing.

The oblong to elliptical leaves of thorny olive are dark green on the top and silver-gray on the...

(Fruitland Silverberry, Silverberry, Thorny Olive)

The unique thorny olive,'Fruitlandii', is distinguished by its larger, more rounded and wavy-edged foliage. It is also said to have a more uniform habit than ungainly wild forms.

Thorny olive is a large evergreen shrub to small tree native to China and Japan where it exists along open slopes and thickets near the Oceanside or waterways. It has also become naturalized in the southeastern United States where it is considered a problematic invasive shrub. It is fast-growing, tough and grows well...

(Thorny Olive)

This more compact form of thorny olive has a pleasing rounded to umbrella-shaped habit, unlike ungainly wild forms. 'Glen St. Mary' is also a fast-grower that boasts fewer thorns than uncultivated types.

Thorny olive is a large evergreen shrub to small tree native to China and Japan where it exists along open slopes and thickets near the Oceanside or waterways. It has also become naturalized in the southeastern United States where it is considered a problematic invasive shrub. It is fast-growing,...

(Thorny Olive)

Thorny olive is a large evergreen shrub to small tree native to China and Japan where it exists along open slopes and thickets near the oceanside or waterways. It has also become naturalized in the southeastern United States where it is considered a problematic invasive shrub. It is fast-growing, tough and grows well in difficult areas but has a coarse, informal look that is visually unappealing.

The oblong to elliptical leaves of thorny olive are dark green on the top and silver-gray on the...

(Thorny Olive)

This large-leaved form of thorny olive has beautiful leaves marked with yellow central blotches. Reportedly, plants have a tendency to revert and maintain unvariegated leaves of yellow-green. Though still fast-growing, fully variegated forms tend to grow a bit slower than wild-type.

Thorny olive is a large evergreen shrub to small tree native to China and Japan where it exists along open slopes and thickets near the Oceanside or waterways. It has also become naturalized in the southeastern...

(Silverberry, Thorny Olive, Variegated Thorny Olive)

Thorny olive is a large evergreen shrub to small tree native to China and Japan where it exists along open slopes and thickets near the oceanside or waterways. It has also become naturalized in the southeastern United States where it is considered a problematic invasive shrub. It is fast-growing, tough and grows well in difficult areas but has a coarse, informal look that is visually unappealing.

The oblong to elliptical leaves of thorny olive are dark green on the top and silver-gray on the...

(Brittlebush)

The sunny daisy-flowers of brittlebush are a familiar sight in the deserts of the Southwest United States and northern Mexico. The rounded, aromatic plants bear long-stemmed clusters of bright yellow blooms in spring, and sometimes again in fall or winter. The fuzzy, silver-gray, oval to lance-shaped leaves occur mostly toward the tips of the branches. Plants drop their leaves during severe drought, refoliating when rain returns.

This plant thrives in sun and well drained soils, and is remarkably...

(Bushman's River Cycad)

Bushman's River cycad forms a suckering clump of plants over several decades. The stiff, frond-like leaves are gray to blue-gray and teem with numerous sharp leaflets and lobes. Native to the hot, sunny scrub and rocky ridges of the Eastern Cape of South Africa, this very slow growing clumping cycad is considered one of the most ornamental and cold-hardy of the African cycads.

The low, stem-like stump of this cycad holds five to seven leaves. Very old plants may be a multi-stumped clump. Each...