Silver goof is a deciduous shrub or small tree with a maximum height of four meters. Numerous gray-brown branches form a wide spreading crown. The main decoration of the plant is silvery leaves, reaching 10 cm in length, with a lanceolate oblong shape. The leaves of this species are dense leathery, with brownish scales on the underside.
In May, silver goof is covered with fragrant inflorescences, collected in small groups of three flowers, which are in the axils of the leaves and have a silver tint on the outside and yellow inside. Spectacular profuse flowering lasts up to four weeks, while the plant emits a honey aroma with a touch of sea buckthorn, which attracts insects en masse.
The flowers are replaced by oval or spherical fruits with a diameter of 1 cm, which are densely covered with silver scales with mealy, sweet, slightly dry flesh. Thanks to its fruits, silver goof got its second name - "silver berry".
The shrub develops very slowly, and due to the lateral growth in breadth, it grows much more actively than in height. Foliage does not lose its color until November and stays on a tree for a long time. When the leaves fall, the silvery large fruits become the decoration of the empty branches.
Silver goof - photophilous plant, develops better in well-lit places. This species is the most frost-resistant of all members of the genus, but it is most susceptible to prolonged droughts. The shrub prefers sandy soil, but other soil is also suitable for it.
In urban landscaping, the great advantage of silver sucker is its resistance to smoke and dust, which makes it possible to plant a plant on the streets with a large number of cars.
Trees tolerate transplants well. You can safely transplant even adult specimens. Silver goof responds well to pruning. The plant does not need to be fertilized, since it is undemanding to soil fertility, and, moreover, it refers to species that by themselves improve the soil where they grow.
Caring for a sucker is rather simple. In dry times, moderate watering is necessary, otherwise the goof tree may suffer from a lack of water. So that the plant does not grow chaotically, you need to control its root system and cut off the emerging shoots. To obtain a compact form of shrub, it should be cut. To prevent freezing, young trees for the winter must be covered with non-woven material or spruce branches.
Silver goof is propagated by seeds, root processes, cuttings and division of the bush. To grow a goof from seeds, it is necessary to make their additional processing. Cuttings are also not always able to take root. The optimal method of reproduction is to separate the root shoot.
Amazing trees with silver leaves in landscape design are used alone and in group compositions. Their unique shape, delicious fruits and leaves make it possible to use the plant in a dominant role in creating color spots. The silver goof looks interesting in contrasting compositions when it is placed next to bushes whose foliage is red, golden or darker in color. Silver goof goes well with coniferous crops and is used as a background for perennial plants with variegated foliage.
Trees are used to create groves and fasten slopes. Due to the controlled slow growth, plants can be used for landscaping small gardens.