Plant Database

Other Names:  Alder Buckthorn

Description:

A rather attractive tall garden shrub with finely cut foliage for an overall fine, wispy appearance, excellent for textural effect in a garden composition; very hardy, tough and adaptable, tends to self-seed so use where this won't be a problem

Ornamental Features

Cutleaf Glossy Buckthorn has dark green deciduous foliage on a plant with an upright spreading habit of growth. The deeply cut ferny leaves turn yellow in fall.

Landscape Attributes

Cutleaf Glossy Buckthorn is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and can be pruned at anytime. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Invasive

Cutleaf Glossy Buckthorn is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Cutleaf Glossy Buckthorn will grow to be about 12 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under average home landscape conditions. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets.