Sheperdia argentea, SILVER BUFFALOBERRY

Hello,

I am considering planting 3 of these in a very dry area of our yard but wanted to get your input first. The area we have is right at the drip line of the south facing side of our house and probably gets only 10" of water a year as most of our rain falls from the north. The area does get full sun. The plants are right at the drip line because they fill a garden area between our sidewalk and the house. Right now we have 3 hollies in the same spot but they are doing very poorly and are constantly stressed due to lack of water. I can supplementally water to establish but would prefer not to have to water on a regular basis. I actually planted a cactus between two of the hollies in the spring and it has done well so far this season. Anyone have experience using these in Xericscaping?

This message was edited Aug 30, 2013 9:03 AM

I don't have personal experience with the plant, but I researched silver-leafed shrubs a number of years ago and I recall being struck how universally silver-leafed plants hate humidity. Naturally, in my climate, I passed. I don't know how much humidity you get there, but you might want to check out their tolerance for your level of humidity.

I have never grown the plant you mention - but the site you describe sounds like it could be ideal for another plant that will tolerate tough conditions: Aralia spinosa.

Read up on it, and see what you think. Contained by pavement is exactly the way this plant should be used in the home landscape, as it enjoys "running" as a colonizer if there are no barriers to its ability to spread.

Here is the site in question. This is a picture from last year but as you can see there isn't enough room for a plant the size you suggested. The Potentilla got relocated to a better location and replaced with a Opuntia erinacea var. ursina. The hollies are chronically stressed and thus succumb to various ailments. They were treated for scale this spring as they probably had it for a few years since I didn't know what scale was prior to spring. Then they got spider mites (I think) and now most of the leaves look 'dusty'. They are just really struggling. Interesting about silver leaved plants and humidity Weerobin. I'll have to look more in to it. Here's the kicker to the plant that replaces the hollies: the wife has to approve and she won't approve anything that doesn't make berries.

My number two choice is mahonia fremontii but I would prefer the Buffaloberry

I'm not sure what you mean by "there isn't enough room for a plant the size you suggested."

Shepherdia argentea is rated at 20-30' - though it won't likely reach that size in PA. Regardless, it is going to want to be much wider than that space you've shown.

Aralia spinosa is relatively limbless, usually growing as a single stem - but an eager colonizer. The foliage, flowers, and yes - fruit - would generally be overhead to passersby.

If that isn't something that fits the bill - and you've mentioned Mahonia sp. as a preference - then you might think of Mahonia aquifolium as a lower growing choice that tolerates perennial dry conditions. My parents' house has had Oregon grape-holly for over 45 years on well-drained shallow soil over bedrock. This species has proven to perform well in the eastern US.

We have two of the Mahonia you suggested and I very much like them. Unfortunately this site gets full sun all day long and they might burn. Such a tough area here. I found somewhere I can get the buffaloberry for 10 bucks in a 1C pot so I think I might just try it. As for the size, I don't think it would be too hard to keep it in check with hedge trimmers. My only concern is our humidity in the summer.

Sequioadendron4, Shepherdia is a good plant choice for that area. It will probably only reach about 10 ft tall at maturity in your area. They should reach the 8ft spread if not pruned. Beware of the thorns when pruning, they are some vicious little buggers that take no prisoners. You will need to keep the soil moist, not wet during the first couple of months and mulch really well to help the fragile root system take root, not sure of your first freeze date but the plants need to be set soon to give them time to settle in.

The silvery green color will do well in the full sun but its down fall is powdery mildew and rust, they seem to be the most common pest in humid weather, the full sun will HELP but not prevent it. Once it hits it is hard to get under control before it damages the plant and makes it very unsightly. Oh, and Japanese beetles thinks its a buffet table.

Hope this helps

Oh geez, it sounds like a pain in the neck. Our area got hit hard with Japanese beetles this year. I am looking into a few other things. I found the documents for our extension office that tell of all the shrubs that will grow in PA and started going over that last night so hopefully I can find a suitable plant for the wife and the planting site :) Thanks for the suggestion Carat!

So I'm thinking of getting the sister plant to the Silver Buffaloberry: the Russet Buffaloberry. It seems that it will hold up better in our climate than the Silver one. Now finding it online is some trouble. I spoke with someone at Blackfootnatives.com today and they seemed friendly and willing to help. The problem is the heat wave in the west right now is putting a damper on plant shipments. What do you think about the new choice?