Mr. Smooth® Seedless Thornless Silverthorn

Mr. Smooth® Seedless Thornless Silverthorn (Elaeagnus × ebbingei 'NCEX1') solves one of the biggest complaints about traditional silverthorn shrubs: those vicious thorns that grab at clothing and skin. This Proven Winners® selection delivers all the best qualities of silverthorn with beautifully smooth, thornless branches you can prune and handle without battle scars.

Year-Round Silvery Beauty

The silvery-green evergreen foliage catches light throughout the year, adding a soft shimmer to the landscape even in the depths of winter. Each leaf has a distinctive metallic sheen on the underside that creates movement and visual interest when breezes rustle the branches. Unlike deciduous shrubs that leave gaps in winter, Mr. Smooth® maintains its dense, full appearance through all four seasons.

Unexpected Fall Fragrance

Just when most shrubs are winding down for the season, this silverthorn surprises with clusters of small, creamy-white flowers tucked beneath the foliage in fall. The blooms release a sweet, jasmine-like fragrance that's especially noticeable on warm autumn afternoons. Late-season pollinators, including bees and beneficial insects preparing for winter, appreciate this unexpected nectar source when few other plants are flowering.

Tough Enough for Difficult Spots

Mr. Smooth® Seedless thrives where other shrubs struggle. It shrugs off deer browsing, tolerates salt spray in coastal gardens, and handles urban pollution without complaint. Poor soil? No problem. This is the shrub you plant in that challenging spot near the driveway or along a busy street where nothing else seems to survive. The dense, evergreen habit also provides excellent screening and privacy year-round.

Perfect for Hedges and Cut Foliage

The naturally compact 4-6 ft size and dense branching make Mr. Smooth® ideal for low hedges or border plantings where you need year-round structure. Space plants 4-5 ft apart for a seamless hedge that fills in quickly. The silvery branches also make stunning cut foliage for arrangements, adding texture and long-lasting greenery to bouquets. Unlike thorny silverthorn, you can harvest these branches without gloves.

This non-invasive selection won't produce the messy, invasive seedlings that plague some older silverthorn varieties. You get all the landscape value with none of the maintenance headaches. Whether you're looking for a tough evergreen hedge, a pollution-tolerant street-side planting, or simply a low-maintenance shrub with year-round appeal, Mr. Smooth® Seedless delivers exceptional performance in zones 6-9.