Euonymus
In autumn deciduous spindles come into their own, as bright, fleshy fruits exposing colourful seeds combine with fabulous autumn foliage
The Korean spindle is a large, charming shrub with branches bearing corky wings. The green summer foliage is dotted with cream speckles turning a dark red in autumn with dark-red spherical fruits on long stalks showing off the orange seeds. 1.5-2.5m x 1.5-2.5m. RHS H6†.
PLANT PROFILE
What A genus of around 140 different species of both evergreen and deciduous shrubs or small trees in the Celastraceae family, commonly known as spindle or spindle berry. The species and cultivars featured here are from the 40 or so temperate species of deciduous spindles in cultivation.
Origins Europe, North America and Asia including China, Korea, Sakhalin Island and Japan.
Season Autumn for the fruits and autumnal leaf colour. Winter for the corky, winged stems.
Size Varies from around 1.5 to 4m tall – sometimes reaching 8m in the right conditions and a spread of 1.5 to 4m.
Conditions Full sun to dappled shade in any fertile, free-draining soils, including chalk.
Hardiness Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe, and suitable for gardens in USDA zones 4a to 8b.
One of the more common Asian spindles, this smaller-growing cultivar bears dark-pink fruits, which open to show off the red-orange seeds. Contrary to its name, it can make a fair-sized shrub. 2.5-3m x 1.5-2.5m. RHS H6.
The common spindle is a large shrub with a narrow habit and leaves that turn pinky-red in autumn. The small, white flowers develop into vivid-red fruits that open to display bright orange seeds. 2.5m x 1.5m. RHS H6, USDA 4a-7b.
A compact shrub, suitable for any size of garden. It has attractive, winged stems, pale-yellow leaves in autumn and a profusion of sugar-pink, four-lobed fruits that split open to expose the orange-red seeds. 1.5m x 1.5m. RHS H6.
There is no prettier sight in autumn than a European spindle with every branch adorned with bright, colourful, fleshy fruits, and leaves with the reddish tints of autumn colour. The European spindle, Euonymus europaeus, must be one of our most beautiful, ornamental native shrubs or small trees in the British landscape.
It’s supposedly lucky, but not if you eat it, as every part of the plant is poisonous. The common name spindle is derived from the hard, white, dense wood that was used to make spindles for spinning and holding wool and cotton, along with knitting needles, skewers, pegs and toothpicks. There are around 140 different species of both evergreen and deciduous shrubs or small trees, native mainly in eastern Asia to the Himalayas, but also occurring in Europe and North America. In cultivation there are approximately 40 temperate species of deciduous spindles and around 45 recognised ornamental cultivars with nine of these holding an RHS Award of Garden Merit.
Nearly all the deciduous spindles have flowers, which appear in late spring or early summer, that are rather inconspicuous and certainly are not one of the plant’s main ornamental features. These f lowers are a flat-topped inflorescence (cyme) growing from where the current season’s growth joins the previous season’s and are partially obscured by the green leaves. Each floret has four petals, and these vary in colour from yellow-green to white with the exception of Euonymus atropurpureus, which has dark-purple flowers and E. cornutus, which has pale, purple-tinted f lowers. These f lowers mature through the summer into the autumn, giving rise to the spectacular, colourful fruits that persist well into the winter.
A large shrub noted for its white flowers, which are full of nectar, making it a good plant for pollinating insects. These are followed by bright-pink, four-lobed fruits revealing the orange seed persisting into winter. 2.5-4m x 2.5-4m. AGM*. RHS H6, USDA 4a-7b.
This rare Chinese shrub was introduced to cultivation by EH Wilson in 1908. The delicate purple flowers turn into bright-pink fruits, with five or six horns, that split open to reveal the orange seeds. 2m x 2m. AGM. RHS H6.
This is a compact cultivar of a beautiful species with corky ridges along the stems, brilliant, fiery-red autumn colour and red-purple fruits exposing the orange seeds. 50cm-1m x 1-1.5m. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b.
It’s these fruits that are the highly ornamental feature for which this genus is most noted. The mature, pendulous fruits are four- or five-lobed, sometimes winged, fruit capsules that are red, pink, or white. These split open to reveal the seeds covered in an orange or red protective fleshy layer called an aril. The aril makes it a very attractive meal to wild birds that feast on these seeds through the winter, digesting the seed coat and helping to spread the plant by dispersing the seeds in their droppings. Another common name is the robin’s bread as robins attracted to the brightly coloured seeds will fiercely guard any bush they have claimed as their territory.
The leaves of all the deciduous spindles are arranged opposite and you will never be let down in autumn by the incredible, reliable autumnal colours all deciduous Euonymus provide, particularly some of the cultivars of E. europaeus and the Asian E. alatus – often called the burning bush because its leaves turn such a fiery crimson-pink that the shrub has the appearance of being on fire. Add to these autumnal ornamental attributes the young, smooth, bright-green stems and the attractive, corky winged stem effect on the branchlets that some provide in winter, and you have a desirable, hard-working garden plant.
The leaves of this tree-like spindle are green with a hint of red in summer, turning pink and red in autumn. Fruits, which are a reddish-pink, split open to show off the red seeds. 2.5-3m x 2.5-3m. RHS H6.
The broad, corky wings on mature branches provide the winter showpiece. In autumn, crimson leaves fall to reveal red-purple fruits with orange seeds. 1.5-2.5m x 1.5-2.5m. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b.
I would give them all a place in my garden if I had the space, but two of my favourite species are E. hamiltonianus and E. oxyphyllus. In their natural habitat they often look like bedraggled, stunted scrawny understorey plants, but put E. hamiltonianus in a fertile garden with space and light and it can often make an elegant tree to 8m tall with fissured bark and beautiful fruits dangling on long pedicels.
But, I have a long-lasting memory of cleaning the seeds of these two examples one night in a forest lodge, removing the red aril only to feel quite nauseous the following morning, so remember to wear gloves as a form of protection when handling any part of these plants as they are poisonous, and wash your hands well before eating or having a drink. Another favourite of mine is the unusual E. cornutus from the forests of southwest China, with its long, lanceolate leaves and pink-tinged fruits that have four, slender horn-like extensions to the lobes that resemble a jester’s cap.
Over the centuries, every part of the spindle has been put to use: oils derived from the plants have been used to make soaps, the poisonous fruits have been used medicinally as a laxative, and the fruits have been baked and crushed to a powder and used to treat head lice or mange in cattle. The arils covering the seeds have been used to make a yellow dye and the high-quality charcoal made from spindle wood is to this day treasured by many artists. But for gardeners looking for a hard-working shrub that will provide so many ornamental seasonal treats, look no further than the deciduous Euonymus.
Tony Kirkham is the chair of the RHS Woody Plant Committee and former head of Arboretum at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He is the author of several books on trees.
Living up to its name, this spectacular shrub resembles a bush covered in popcorn when the white fruits split to reveal the orange-red seeds against the yellow leaves in autumn. 2.5-3m x 2.5-3m. RHS H6.
This Dutch selection of the Asian flat-stalked spindle produces a proliferation of green flowers in late spring, followed by lots of large, scarlet fruits with dangling orange seed. Excellent autumn colour. 1.5-2.5m x 1.5-2.5m.AGM. RHS H6.
As its name suggests, this popular cultivar produces a cascade of large, bright rose-pink winged fruits long after the bright-scarlet leaves have fallen in autumn. 3m x 2.5m.AGM. RHS H6, USDA 4a-7b.
With a spreading habit and tree-like form, this cultivar produces a wealth of round, coral-pink fruits, each with an orange-red seed. Another bonus is the lemon-yellow autumn foliage. 3m x 2.5m.
*Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. †Hardiness ratings given where available.
How to grow Euonymus
• Deciduous spindles are relatively low maintenance and aren’t really fussy about where they grow in the garden. They will be happy in most soil types, ranging from acid to alkaline providing they are fertile and free-draining, but they dislike waterlogging. Most spindles will tolerate drier soils once established in their final position in the garden. In their natural habitat they are usually found growing on the edges of woodlands where they are an indicator of ancient woodland. They also grow naturally in mixed hedgerows with other shrubs, such as hawthorn, dogwood and roses, so are quite happy growing in an exposed or sheltered position in full sun or partial shade in association with many other woody and herbaceous plants, giving you lots of options for a suitable planting position. They work well in a formal shrub border, or as a background shrub, and look especially good as an individual specimen plant in an arboretum setting, where they can show off their fruit and leaf colour to their best in the autumn. Before planting in autumn or spring, add some well-rotted compost to the cultivated soil followed by a good watering and mulching with a good fibrous compost or composted wood chips after planting.
• Most of the popular cultivars are readily available and will have been propagated vegetatively by semi-ripe cuttings taken in late summer. However, most of the deciduous spindle species can be easily grown from seed collected in the autumn. The seed must be cleaned well, by removing the fleshy orange aril, air dried and sown straight away in a welldrained compost to the depth of the seed. The surface can be covered with a fine grit, and the seed pan placed in a rodent-proof area outdoors, where it will experience any winter cold, and germination will take place during the following spring. If the seed is stored for any length of time, it will need some cold stratification in a bag of moist sand in a fridge for eight to 12 weeks before sowing to mimic a cold winter. If not, you will need to be patient and wait a second year for germination.
• Spindles require little if any pruning, apart from maintaining their size and shape, which should be carried out during late winter to early spring, but they are free-flowering regardless of any pruning.
• Most spindles are generally pest and disease free, but some will occasionally suffer from the usual suspects that trouble other shrubs such as powdery mildew and a fungal leaf spot, which can be easily controlled by raking up and disposing of fallen leaves. The young, fleshy growth of spindles can also be attractive to scale insects and aphids, which can cause leaf curl and wilt.
Where to see and buy
• Bluebell Arboretum & Nursery Annwell Lane, Smisby, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire LE65 2TA. Tel 01530 413700, bluebellnursery.com
• Burncoose Nurseries Gwennap, Redruth, Cornwall TR16 6BJ. Tel 01209 860316, burncoose.co.uk
• Frank P Matthews Berrington Court, Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire WR15 8TH. Tel 01584 812800, frankpmatthews.com
• Junker’s Nursery Higher Cobhay, Milverton, Somerset TA4 1NJ. Tel 01823 400075, junker.co.uk
• The Place for Plants East Bergholt Place, Suffolk CO7 6UP. Tel 01206 299224, placeforplants.co.uk