Silverberry (Wolf Willow) vs Canada Plum - TreeTime.ca

Silverberry (Wolf Willow) vs Canada Plum

Elaeagnus commutata

Prunus nigra

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Silverberry (Wolf Willow)
Canada Plum

Silverberry (also known as Wolf Willow) is a common native North American shrub. This beautiful ornamental plant has characteristic silver leaves and fragrant yellow flowers.

Its silver berries remain on the branches through the winter. Silverberry is cold hardy and has some ability as a nitrogen fixer. It can grow on dry to moist sandy/gravel soils. This plant is very low maintenance.

Canada Plum is a cold-hardy wild plum native to North America with small red fruit. They ripen in mid to late summer, with bitter, astringent skin surrounding sweet, slightly acidic flesh that clings to the stone. While some enjoy eating the plums fresh, they are more commonly used for baking and preserves. It is considered a universal pollinizer for other plum varieties and is often used for grafting or as a rootstock.

White to pink flowers appear in spring, often before the leaves, providing an early source of nectar and pollen for native bees and other pollinators. Birds and other wildlife also feed on the fruit, adding to its ecological value. Canada Plum can grow as a small tree or large, multi-stemmed shrub. It is well suited to a variety of projects, including fruit orchards for cross-pollination, as well as pollinator plantings, naturalization, and restoration projects.

Silverberry (Wolf Willow) Quick Facts

Canada Plum Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 2b
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Suckering: high
Suckering: high


Foliage: silvery leaves
Fall colour: attractive yellow, gold
Bark: grey and scaly with age
Flowers: yellow
Flowers: white
Fruit: under 1 inch round yellow fruits with red blush to completely red, tart skin with sweet flesh
Berries: silver, edible
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, YT, NT, NU
Native to: MB, ON, QC, NB
Other Names: american silverberry, silver berry, wolf willow
Other Names: american plum, black plum, canada plum, horse plum, wild plum