Hippophae rhamnoides Sirola - Sea buckthorn

Sea Buckthorn 'Sirola' is a female cultivar of Hippophae rhamnoides known for its early ripeness, productivity, and columnar habit. It produces medium to large, orange-red fruits with a sweet taste, ripening as early as late July. It is also a variety with few suckers, suitable for family gardens. Highly decorative, its berries are also rich in vitamins C, A, and E, and other antioxidant compounds. They can be used to make juices, jams, jellies, and syrups. This deciduous, moderately thorny bush grows quickly, adapts to poor soils, and withstands very cold winters. Plant it as an informal hedge or a defensive hedge not far from a male variety such as Pollmix.

Sea Buckthorn belongs to the Elaeagnaceae family. Hippophae rhamnoides, also known as Thorny Willow, Siberian Olive, or False Buckthorn, is a botanical species native to temperate regions of Europe and Asia. It is a very thorny shrub spreading through numerous suckers, reaching up to 5 m in height or more. It is a pioneer plant, able to grow on mountainsides as well as in dunes. Nodules containing nitrogen-fixing bacteria develop on its roots, indicating excellent adaptation to poor soils.

Apart from a few self-fertile varieties, sea buckthorn bears either male or female flowers: it is a dioecious plant pollinated by insects. One male plant can pollinate five to six female plants. Berries are produced on female bushes from the 2nd or 3rd year onwards.
The female sea buckthorn 'Sirola' is a result of cross-breeding between a Siberian cultivar and the 'Pollmix' cultivar. The bush has an upright, somewhat columnar habit. At maturity, it reaches 3 m in height with an approximate spread of 1.50 m. Its flexible branches bear narrow, elongated, 5-6 cm long leaves with short petioles. Arranged alternately on the branches, they are dark green on top and grey underneath. The subtle, greenish-yellow flowering, occurs in April-May. The fruits are quite large (average 5.2 grams), elongated oval to cylindrical, with silvery-grey scales at their tips. Harvesting is easy as each fruit is borne on a fairly long peduncle. Ripening between late July and early August, these fruits have a beautiful orange-red colour. 'Sirola' sea buckthorn berries are very rich in vitamin C (about 30 times more than an orange). They are moderately acidic and can be eaten fresh. They can also be used for making jams, syrups, or sauces that complement meats and fish well.

Hippophae rhamnoides 'Sirola' is ornamental for its fruiting and foliage, valuable for its berries with great nutritional qualities. This bush is used in informal or defensive hedges in a natural garden. To complement it, consider Halimodendron halodendron with pink spring flowers, Caragana arborescens resembling it but adorned with yellow pea flowers. Coyote Willow, able to thrive in dry, poor soil, will also blend perfectly with these bushes, as will Spring Tamarisk.