Hippophae Rhamnoides Hikul Sea Buckthorn

Hippophae Rhamnoides Hikul or Sea Buckthorn Silver Star, is a tough, low-maintenance hedging plant whose dwarf size and dense, rounded shape make it perfect for gardens large and small!
A cultivar originating in Denmark, Hippophae Rhamnoides Hikul has semi-evergreen leaves which are silvery when they emerge in spring, maturing to a mid-green, similar in appearance to rosemary. The leaves remain on the branches into early winter. While older cultivars are notable for the orange berries that they produce, Sea Buckthorn Silver Star is male and so will not produce any fruit, keeping a tidy appearance with their rounded shape. If you want decorative orange red berry fruit in winter, plant in series of both sexes – so Hippophae Rhamnoides Hikul with common Sea Buchthorn.

Hardy throughout the UK and continental Europe, Sea Buckthorn Silver Star will grow to a mature height and spread of 1.5 metres in a few years. In late winter or early spring, cut out any dead or damaged stems, but its compact and dense natural rounded shape will be maintained without pruning to shape. Hippophae Rhamnoides Hikul can be expected to live more than 50 years once it has been established.
Plant Hippophae Rhamnoides Hikul in full sun, preferably in an alkaline clay or sandy soil. It will thrive in dry conditions, and in fact will not tolerate wet soil. As the name Sea Buckthorn Silver Star indicates, it is a good match for a coastal location, since it is very salt-tolerant, and is equally well-suited to a city garden, since it is tolerant of pollution as well. Deer and rabbit resistant, it’s a great choice for country gardens, too! 

Sea Buckthorn Silver Star is an excellent container plant for roof terraces, patios, and courtyards, as its compact size, dense growth and long-lasting attractive foliage makes it a perfect low maintenance architectural shrub, whether it’s one specimen plant, or in a row forming a privacy screen. It also makes a good roadside hedge. Hippophae Rhamnoides Hikul makes an excellent plant for a Mediterranean or gravel garden, and in a coastal garden, this tough plant can be an effective windbreak to shelter more delicate specimen plants. On a dry slope, a mass planting of Hippophae Rhamnoides Hikul will provide erosion control. 

Hippophae Rhamnoides Hikul is a low-maintenance architectural shrub which will provide a long season of foliage and an attractive rounded shape in dry conditions, making it a great choice for UK gardeners looking for either specimen shrubs or privacy hedges or windbreaks!