Sean’s Elaeagnusesses

[SeanS]

I think the fruiting sub-forum is fitting for silverberry bonsai.

Over the past 2 years I’ve acquired a handful of landscape Elaeagnus pungens, and they’ve quickly become my favourite broadleaf evergreen species. I have a few silverberry bonsai now so a dedicated thread seems fitting.

First up is an Elaeagnus I collected from a very neglected nursery literally 1km from my house. While walking around the nursery last winter I noticed what looked like an elaeagnus leaf poking out of the overgrown grass. A quick conversation with the person working there and a deal was struck. R100 ($5.45) and I’d be back later that day with a spade/shovel.




Nants ingonyama bagithi baba!




It took a while to start growing after collection but recovered well during the growing season. I left it mostly untouched except for wiring a single shoot that was on the lowest primary branch before it got too thick to drop down low enough to fit into any future designs.

Yesterday I gave it a full initial styling. Before any work




After defoliation



Deadwood detail



The back side turned out to be far more interesting so I completely changed the initial plan for the plant




After initial styling.
Not the best lighting as I took these photos this morning before work. The continuation of upper trunk needs to thicken some more so I left it long, as well as leaving an extra sacrificial shoot on the main lowest branch. I also plan on guy wiring the upper trunk shoot down and more towards the front. I’ll slip pot it at the correct angle this weekend. I also plan on doing some carving work next season. Deadwood is common on Elaeagnus, the wood is incredibly hard and they often have deadwood as bonsai.




From above



Here’s an example of a big Elaeagnus in Japan with a lot of deadwood (shoutout to Seth)

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I love silverberries. I was just sharing a couple of pictures with a friend last night of a silverberry that I am developing ramification on...

Before defoliation and pruning.


After - showing rough structure

 

[Dabbler]

I've always loved silver berry but never really hunted for one - might have to now!

 

[SeanS]

I love silverberries. I was just sharing a couple of pictures with a friend last night of a silverberry that I am developing ramification on...

Before defoliation and pruning.
View attachment 560364

After - showing rough structure
View attachment 560365

@Bonsai Nut that's a really nice looking silverberry! They have so much to offer; fairly fast growing, hardly, sweet smelling flowers, cool leaves, berries. I really love them

 

[NMbonsai]

I discovered silverberries several years ago as nursery stock. The species I am working with is Eleangus fruitlandii. It looks very similar to the one you have. They are extremely tough, respond well to pruning and shaping, and are very adaptive to our high desert climate. In fact, we have an invasive species here that is a close relative of the silverberry; known as the Russian olive, Eleangus angustifolia; which, of course, is not an olive at all. I have heard that they are good bonsai material as well, but have never worked with them myself.
I have one silverberry that I have trained in a semicascade style and another that has been sitting in a nursery pot for a few years.

 

[SeanS]

I discovered silverberries several years ago as nursery stock. The species I am working with is Eleangus fruitlandii. It looks very similar to the one you have. They are extremely tough, respond well to pruning and shaping, and are very adaptive to our high desert climate. In fact, we have an invasive species here that is a close relative of the silverberry; known as the Russian olive, Eleangus angustifolia; which, View attachment 560393View attachment 560394of course, is not an olive at all. I have heard that they are good bonsai material as well, but have never worked with them myself.
I have one silverberry that I have trained in a semicascade style and another that has been sitting in a nursery pot for a few years.

Sweet little tree @NMbonsai! Yes I agree it looks similar. The fact that I’ve dug all of my Elaeagnus out of that landscape and don’t have any other info regarding them provenance does make me wonder which species I actually have but I’ve tried to find some info that helps to identify them. I think the pungens is the one that flowers in fall and sets fruit through winter. When does yours flower? Apparently the different species flower at very specific times (either spring/summer or fall).

 

[NMbonsai]

It blooms in early winter here (end of November, first week of December). The flowers are tiny (1/4") white bells, extremely fragrant. It never set fruit, which wasn't surprising, considering what few pollinators would be around that time of year.

 

[SeanS]

A few more of my silverberries

This was an air layer. Elaeagnus layer very easily and create great radial roots!




Another small layer. I wired and twisted this one up while it was still on the mother tree.
Once the shape set I layered it off.



Another small layer, cascade style




Tall slender tree. It’s still a bit wobbly so I’ve propped it up with a bit of wire




Another small layer, really not much to look at right now



The base of one of my stock trees. It’s really wide below the soil. I’ll be repotting it into a colander in the next week or 2.

 

[SeanS]

The story of how I found my first batch of 3 Elaeagnus.

2 years ago I saw a Facebook marketplace advert by a lady that was planning to move from her beautiful, older house in one of our more affluent neighborhoods near my house. The house was probably built in the 70s and had a stunning, estate style garden. The advert was asking for anyone interested to come and dig up any plants they wanted for a very small fee per plant. I took her up on the offer and made my way there early on me Saturday morning.

On the way there I was listening to a bonsai podcast and got to thinking about what 5 species of popular shohin trees I’d love to get my hands on that I know are almost impossible to find in South Africa. I can’t remember the list exactly but it went something like this:
Chojubai
Sekka hinoki
Asiatic jasmine (Chirimen jasmine)
Euonymus
Elaeagnus

To cut a long story short, after about 30 minutes of rummaging around the lady’s garden I found a cluster of dense, overgrown, thorny shrubs with a few red berries scattered on the floor. Although I had silverberry in my list I’d never actually seen one, so I couldn’t believe my eyes when I did a quick google and realised that’s what I was looking at!
I managed to dig 3 of them up with an adequate amount of roots, trimmed them to fit them in my car, paid the lady R450 ($25) and headed home with a massive smile on my face

Then, bad screenshot from an IG story at the time



Now

 

[NMbonsai]

Encouraging to hear that silverberry are easy to air layer. The one I have still in a nursery pot is sort of a twin trunk, with the dominant trunk showing beautiful moment and the other being smaller, straighter, and generally less interesting. I was originally planning to do a trunk chop and get rid of it, but then began wondering if I could do an air layer and save it. It does have some potential as bonsai material. I've missed the window for doing a successful air layer the last two growing seasons (early to mid June here) but I could plan on finally getting to it next year.
I thought maybe I could do the air layer just above the broken branch scar, but I don't know if it will take that close to the scar.
The second option would be to do it at the base of the branch above the branch scar and broken stub but I would lose some taper doing that.
I have only attempted a few air layers over the years with zero success, most recently with some native Gambel oaks.

 

[SeanS]

Encouraging to hear that silverberry are easy to air layer. The one I have still in a nursery pot is sort of a twin trunk, with the dominant trunk showing beautiful moment and the other being smaller, straighter, and generally less interesting. I was originally planning to do a trunk chop and get rid of it, but then began wondering if I could do an air layer and save it. It does have some potential as bonsai material. I've missed the window for doing a successful air layer the last two growing seasons (early to mid June here) but I could plan on finally getting to it next year.
I thought maybe I could do the air layer just above the broken branch scar, but I don't know if it will take that close to the scar.
The second option would be to do it at the base of the branch above the branch scar and broken stub but I would lose some taper doing that.
I have only attempted a few air layers over the years with zero success, most recently with some native Gambel oaks.

They grow roots like their life depends on it!

 

[SeanS]

First Elaeagnus repot of the season!

 

[NMbonsai]

Nice little shohin. Lots of potential.

 

[SeanS]

Bonsai pots for these 2 little ones. The one in the blue pot obviously needs to get a little bigger, I plan on extending the cascading section quite a bit more

 

[BonsaiManic]

Just my 2 cents, but the one in the red pot brings to my mind a man bearing a heavy load, trying to ascend a mountain.

 

[SeanS]

Just my 2 cents, but the one in the red pot brings to my mind a man bearing a heavy load, trying to ascend a mountain.

Hopefully a heavy load of berries next autumn! It only produced 1 flower last season which didn’t turn to fruit

 

[SeanS]

I think the fruiting sub-forum is fitting for silverberry bonsai.

Over the past 2 years I’ve acquired a handful of landscape Elaeagnus pungens, and they’ve quickly become my favourite broadleaf evergreen species. I have a few silverberry bonsai now so a dedicated thread seems fitting.

First up is an Elaeagnus I collected from a very neglected nursery literally 1km from my house. While walking around the nursery last winter I noticed what looked like an elaeagnus leaf poking out of the overgrown grass. A quick conversation with the person working there and a deal was struck. R100 ($5.45) and I’d be back later that day with a spade/shovel.

View attachment 560344
View attachment 560345

Nants ingonyama bagithi baba!

View attachment 560346
View attachment 560347

It took a while to start growing after collection but recovered well during the growing season. I left it mostly untouched except for wiring a single shoot that was on the lowest primary branch before it got too thick to drop down low enough to fit into any future designs.

Yesterday I gave it a full initial styling. Before any work

View attachment 560348
View attachment 560349

After defoliation

View attachment 560350

Deadwood detail

View attachment 560351

The back side turned out to be far more interesting so I completely changed the initial plan for the plant

View attachment 560352
View attachment 560353

After initial styling.
Not the best lighting as I took these photos this morning before work. The continuation of upper trunk needs to thicken some more so I left it long, as well as leaving an extra sacrificial shoot on the main lowest branch. I also plan on guy wiring the upper trunk shoot down and more towards the front. I’ll slip pot it at the correct angle this weekend. I also plan on doing some carving work next season. Deadwood is common on Elaeagnus, the wood is incredibly hard and they often have deadwood as bonsai.

View attachment 560354
View attachment 560355

From above

View attachment 560356

Here’s an example of a big Elaeagnus in Japan with a lot of deadwood (shoutout to Seth)

View attachment 560357

Slip potted this one at the correct angle, the buds have started to open in the last few days

 

[defra]

nice !
i have one i bought in 2018 but thats a elaeagnus ebbingei slowely growing the base trunk line needs some love again next spring , do you have any pictures with leaves?
edit
quickly checked on mine it is starting to flower !

 

[SeanS]

nice !
i have one i bought in 2018 but thats a elaeagnus ebbingei slowely growing the base trunk line needs some love again next spring , do you have any pictures with leaves?
edit
quickly checked on mine it is starting to flower !

@defra if you scroll up to the first post in this thread you can see the tree in leaf before styling.

Here it is now putting out its fresh spring leaves

 

[defra]

@defra if you scroll up to the first post in this thread you can see the tree in leaf before styling.

Here it is now putting out its fresh spring leaves

View attachment 568439

Ah yeah i must have been tired and didnt lay attention they are there indeed.
Nice work looking forward to see the progression!