Hedging Plants – Euonymus

Name – Commonly known as spindle.

Description and uses – there are about 170 -180 euonymus, some are deciduous and others evergreen and they range from shrub size to small trees. They originate mostly in East Asia, including the Himalayas, but also in Europe, Asia, Australasia, North America and Madagascar. The leaves are simple ovoids often with a finely serrated margin and the flowers are situated in small groups, and are very plain and inconspicuous of green or creamy colour while the fruit begins as a green pod-like berry, which becomes pink and then splits open to reveal the fleshy-coated orange seeds which are eaten by birds, who disperse the seeds in their droppings, it’s a plant that is tolerant of dense shade.

Maintenance and problems – All parts of the plants are poisonous to humans if eaten. Powdery mildew is the most common and possibly the most difficult disease to control on euonymus. It is caused by the fungus Oidium euonymi-japonici. Symptoms consist of a flat, white to gray growth primarily on the upper surfaces of the leaves, which can be rubbed off easily. Leaves may yellow slightly and drop, but heavy leaf drop is not a characteristic symptom. On young shoots leaves can become curled and scarred if infection is severe. Prevention and Treatment involves pruning and destroying heavily diseased branches and fallen leaves. If mildew strikes, try to increase sunlight levels, do not crowd plants, and avoid overhead watering. This is a plant that tolerates severe pruning, which is best carried out in spring. Follow this treatment with an application of a general purpose fertiliser, and a mulch. Avoid drought stress in the season following hard pruning which involves removing one-third to half the shoots at ground level, and reducing all other shoots by one-third in the first year. Over the next couple of years remove half the remaining older shoots to ground level.

Hedging euonymus photograph by ndrwfgg, used under a creative commons attribution licence

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