Red Oleaster (elaeagnus umbelata) POINTILLA AMOROSO

The 'Pointilla Amoroso' grows to a height of about 3 metres. The leaves are oblong with brown spots on the underside. The fruits can grow quite densely. They are interesting in their shade of red and are covered with fine, sometimes faintly visible white dots. This feature is also behind the variety's distinctive name. The fruit ripens at the end of the holiday season. The fruit has a pleasant sweet and sour taste.

 It is still an unusual fruit in this country. The fruit grows on a fast-growing, dense fruit bush which may remotely resemble a cherry tree. No wonder, then, that in the British Isles and in the USA, where the fruit is popular in pies and jams, it is simply called cherry. The fruit is known for its vitamin C content and high antioxidant content. Elaeagnus umbellata requires another plant as a pollinator. A plant of its own species, or a relative. After a couple of years, it is advisable to remove the old woody and non-producing shoots from the inside of the plant and leave the young and fruiting shoots untouched. This will help to increase production as well as room for the plant to grow. Older three-year-old shoots can also be removed as part of the maintenance pruning in early spring.

 Plants can cope with drought and irregular watering. An important characteristic is that they are not soil-intensive, so they can be grown in soils with clay content. Of course, fertile, humic soil will always be an asset and an advantage. A sunny position or partial shade is preferable. However, not too much shade, which can be detrimental to the plant. Another advantage of hawthorns is their relatively good resistance to pests and diseases, but also to frost.  For the grower, it is an unpretentious fruit representative, which in recent years has also been mentioned as an alternative for hedges. It produces white, small, elongated flowers during May and fruit during July. All varieties bearing the Pointilla® label are considered hardy and suitable for urban development and for growing in residential terraces and balconies (in containers).