AT THIS time of year, gardeners are looking for winter colour and especially evergreen shrubs to give some interest in an otherwise bare garden.

Elaeagnus is a shrub to fill such a space with attractive, often variegated leathery foliage and insignificant but highly fragrant flowers.

Some species are deciduous but evergreen ones include the Japanese Elaeagnus pungens, which was introduced into Europe in 1829, probably by Philipp von Siebold, a German physician. Glossy, dark green leaves with a dull white underside are held on thorny branches and in late autumn clusters of small silvery flowers fill the air with fragrance.

Elaeagnus pungens 'Maculata' is a popular cultivar and is widely planted for winter colour. Dark green, shiny leaves are centrally splashed with gold changing to pale green towards the dark edge of the leaves and the shrub can reach a height and spread of 3m/10ft.

Elaeagnus pungens 'Dicksonii' is a slow-growing, mainly yellow-leafed cultivar, more compact than 'Maculata', growing to around 1.5m/5ft. 'Goldrim' has dark green leaves rimmed with gold and 'Variegata' has a thin, pale yellow leaf margin. Both grow up to 2.4m/8ft with a similar spread.

Elaeagnus x ebbingei is a hybrid originating in Holland in 1928. It is fast growing and wind resistant and particularly useful in seaside gardens as an evergreen backdrop or for hedging.

The glossy dark green leaves are silver underneath and fragrant white autumn flowers are sometimes followed by orange fruit in spring.

Roy Lancaster writes in his book Shrubs Through The Seasons that six seedlings from Elaeagnus x ebbingei were made available to gardeners in 1939. Two of them, 'Albert Doorenbos', named after the man who raised the seedlings, and 'The Hague', were grown for some years, although neither are listed in The Plant Finder and it seems they could have been susceptible to a wilt disease.

However, Elaeagnus x ebbingei 'Gilt Edge' is carrying on the strain after being found as a sport on a stock plant of E x ebbingei at a nursery in Surrey.

'Gilt Edge' eventually grows up to 2.3m/7ft tall and has pointed leaves, silvery beneath and green above with a lemon-yellow margin. It was given an Award of Merit in 1971 and a First Class Certificate in 1987 and has so far proved disease and reversion free.

Another sport, 'Limelight', is widely available and has greeny-yellow and gold splashed foliage.

Elaeagnus are fairly easy to grow but can be slow to establish, especially in cold areas. Some can suffer defoliation in very cold winters but will recover the following spring. They will grow in most soils but dislike thin chalky soil or wet clay and do best in a sheltered site where winter sun will light up the beautiful foliage.

Some variegated types may revert to all green. Remove these branches straight away and avoid taking too much of the plant for indoor decoration or flower arranging.

Updated: 15:49 Monday, January 21, 2002