Euonymus need little help from gardeners to produce a fine show of leaves. The green, white and yellow combinations are great but dwarfed by the leaves that turn brilliant red in autumn on some varieties.
There are over a 100 species so there is a Euonymus for your garden.

Growing Euonymus in the United Kingdom

• The RHS have awarded an AGM to Euonymus Fortunei Emerald ‘n’ Gold’, ‘a dwarf evergreen shrub of spreading habit, with broadly yellow-margined leaves, tinged pink in winter; occasionally produces a few small, inconspicuous greenish flowers’. AGM is a recoginition that a plant will grow successfully in the UK.




• The Euonymus Fortunei series are hardy and seem to do well for me, even in a North facing semi shaded position.
• The evergreen varieties of Euonymus are often grown in pots and containers.
• Euonymus can be deciduous or evergreen and grow from 1 foot high as shrubs to small trees up to 20 feet tall.
• Take cuttings to grow more Euonymus shrubs.

Help Selecting Euonymus Varieties

• Euonymus Fortunei Emerald Gaiety is green with silver edged leaves that give a silvery look to the plant. Euonymus Fortunei Emerald ‘n’ Gold has wider yellow edges to the leaves so the plant looks more gold than green. These are the staple varieties that all shrub gardens should consider.
• Euonymus Altus AGM (winged spindle or fire bush) grows to 6 feet and has large dark green leaves that turn brilliant red in autumn.
• Euonymus Harlequin is a dwarf plant 1-2 feet high with white green and pink leaves. Suitable for growing in a container
• Euonymus Europaeus (latifolius or large-leaved spindle) is more a tree than a shrub that can grow to 15 feet tall if unpruned. Green leaves turn to yellow then reddish purple in autumn. Pink or red fruit are attractive to birds and gardeners with vivid orange seeds showing through the fruits

Photo Credits
Euonymus grandiflorus #3 by J.G. in S.F. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 ‘Spindle Tree Semi-evergreen shrub or small tree to 5 m
Shown: Mature fruit; the split fruit revealing the brilliant red pulpy mass surrounding the shiny black seeds’
Spring Euonymus Hedge By My Beautiful Wife by Puzzler4879 CC BY-NC 2.0

Euonymus with Award of Garden Merit

This award indicates that the plant is recommended by the RHS. Awards are usually given after a period of trial at an RHS garden
In addition to plants listed above the following have currently got AGM status:
Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’
Euonymus europaeus ‘Red Cascade’
Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald Gaiety’ (v)
Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald Surprise’ (v)
Euonymus fortunei ‘Tustin’
Euonymus japonicus ‘Chollipo’
Euonymus japonicus ‘Ovatus Aureus’ (v)
Euonymus phellomanus
Euonymus planipes