This species is variable in habit, a large shrub or small tree (up to 30' high and as wide, though usually 8-12' and as wide here) with a...Read Morettractive silvery foliage and showy edible orange fruits in fall and winter. The fruits are small and harvesting them from the thorny branches is very labor-intensive, but they are grown and harvested commercially in Germany and Russia for juices, jams, and sauces.
This species is dioecious---to obtain fruit, you need a male plant and a female. Wind pollinated. In the US, most plants are seed-grown, and you can't predict the sex of a seedling. The eastern Europeans have made selections for fruit size and quality.
The Missouri Botanic Garden says this grows best in full sun in neutral to alkaline, well-drained sandy loam. It fixes atmospheric nitrogen and does well in poor soils. It can be slow to establish, but once established it is fairly drought tolerant, and also tolerant of salt spray.
Planted 3 in 2009, here in Palmer, Alaska. Two were from Sandusky Valley Nursery in Ohio. The other was from Ebay. All were doing well,...Read More but one of the smaller ones from Sandusky died in 2010 or 2011. The other two have survived and in 2014 their growth simply took off. Both plants doubled in size in a single growing season. Both are alive now. No flowers of fruit though. Seriously thinking about getting more of them and working them into a hedgerow. Oh, and moose browsed one or two buds a few years ago and now ABSOLUTELY AVOID these plants.
I have been growing seaberries or Hippophae rhamoides for about 4 years now. Most of my plants I grew from seed and they have been much ...Read Moremore sturdy than a few I purchased as rooted cutttings. The downside is that I won't know if I have male or females until they blossom or produce fruit. I'm not that worried since I have over 500 of them in a field and I should get a nice distribution of the sexes. Now I am harvesting some leaves to use as tea and that is working out very well. I even add some dried leaf powder to smoothies. The leaves are full of good stuff too. Google Seaberry / Seabucthorn and you will find my blog which chronicles a lot about my experiment. Some nice recipes can be found there too. Just google seaberry recipes and you will find the blog. I am looking forward to hearing about your experiences too.
I saw some large clumps of this at Samphire Hoe, Dover. It formed quite compact and extremely spiny specimens to about 6ft high but clum...Read Moreping much wider.
One picks the fruit carefully. The berries are very sour when eaten alone but into the blender with water and some sugar make a wonderfu...Read Morelly refreshing drink.
They seem to be very winter hardy in South Central Alaska even after the winter of 2006-7 which gave us very cold temperatures without a snow cover and lots of things didn't overwinter. Whether they are moose-proof is unknown as they are behind an eight-foot fence.
Seaberry's suckering can be a problem if you are not careful and attentive.
I have some growing in my yard that I have to...Read More dig out the suckers every spring, otherwise it will take over my garden and choke out other plantings.
One of the most valuable shrubs for the human condition and envirnment. All you ever want to know is on the internet. USDA has ignored ...Read Moresea buckthorn. Harvesting is labor intensive. Is a must for Russian gardeners. High in vitemins and heath nutrients for the long winters. China makes 200 product from sea buckthorn. Species from a few inches to 70 feet. Very attractive shrub. Needs male and female for berries. Very easy to propagate. Seeds, cuttings, roots, suckers. Suckers densly, extensively. Great for wind and soil erosion, Chinese claims up to 90% soil retension established growth. All parts usable. Medicine, nutrician, cosmetics, tea, ect. ect. ect. No known negetives.
This species is variable in habit, a large shrub or small tree (up to 30' high and as wide, though usually 8-12' and as wide here) with a...Read More
Planted 3 in 2009, here in Palmer, Alaska. Two were from Sandusky Valley Nursery in Ohio. The other was from Ebay. All were doing well,...Read More
I have been growing seaberries or Hippophae rhamoides for about 4 years now. Most of my plants I grew from seed and they have been much ...Read More
I saw some large clumps of this at Samphire Hoe, Dover. It formed quite compact and extremely spiny specimens to about 6ft high but clum...Read More
One picks the fruit carefully. The berries are very sour when eaten alone but into the blender with water and some sugar make a wonderfu...Read More
Seaberry's suckering can be a problem if you are not careful and attentive.
I have some growing in my yard that I have to...Read More
One of the most valuable shrubs for the human condition and envirnment. All you ever want to know is on the internet. USDA has ignored ...Read More