Mr. Smooth is an evergreen cultivar of the Asian oleaster in the Oleaster family (Elaeagnaceae) bred by Dr. Tom Ranney of NCSU. It is a sterile, compact shrub growing 4 to 6 feet tall and wide. Mr. Smooth prefers full sun to partial shade in well-drained, average garden soils with a pH of slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. Keep the soil moist until well established, then provide supplemental water during dry periods. It is deer, heat, salt and rabbit tolerant. The evergreen foliage is a striking silver-green on a dense, compact thornless shrub that stays attractive year-round. In the fall, small cream-colored bell-shaped flowers appear, having a strong gardenia-type fragrance and attracting late-season pollinators. The flowers are sterile and produce no seed. Use Mr. Smooth in a hedge, as a foundation plant,or in the border of a winter, coastal, Asian or pollinator garden. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious insect or disease problems.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Fills a similar nicheIlex cornutaLigustrum japonicum Kindly® 'NCLJ1'Rhododendron x Dandy Man Color Wheel® 'NCRX1'
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical
Leaf margin
Entire; Undulate
Leaf feel
Leathery
Leaf value
Long-lasting; Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The silver-green leaves are alternate and simple with silvery-gray undersides. 2 to 5 inches long and 1.5 to 2.75 inches wide. Margins are subtly wavy.
Flower color
Cream/Tan; White
Flower value
Fragrant
Flower shape
Bell
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Creamy white bell-shaped flowers appear in the leaf axils in the fall. Although they are not particularly showy, they are very fragrant with a gardenia-like scent.
Bloom time
Fall
Fruit detail
No fryits or seeds
Stem detail
Smooth, spine-free stems.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Wildlife value
Flowers attract late seson pollinators
Attracts
Pollinators
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Coastal; Lawn
Landscape theme
Asian Garden; Pollinator Garden; Winter Garden
Design feature
Border; Foundation Planting; Hedge; Screen/Privacy; Small groups