Spindle - Euonymus

More information about spindle shrub

These ground cover plants, also known as wintercreeper or simply euonymus are easy to care for, very tolerant of pruning and they decorate every garden with green or colourful, variegated foliage. In addition, these special species retain their ornamental leaf green even in the winter and remain compact. Some varieties also show small, inconspicuous flowers. Of course, the spindle is hardy. So if you are looking for a ground cover that is evergreen and can also offer multi-coloured foliage, you will certainly find the right ground cover plants for your garden in our wide range of colourful evergreen Euonymus shrubs.

In contrast to these ground cover plants, E. alatus (Winged spindle shrub) is a related species but with a height of up to three metres.

The diversity of the ground-covering spindle shrub

Our ground-covering spindle shrubs are hardy varieties and belong to the two species Euonymus japonicus and Euonymus fortunei. The great variety of leaf colours leaves plenty of scope for your own creativity when planting:

• The spindle shrub 'Minimus' with its low growth and many small leaves produces dark, rich green colours.
• The Euonymus japonica variety 'Mareike' glows golden yellow and the spindle shrub Euonymus fortunei 'Harlequin' illuminates the planted area with its white tips, which look like flowers from a distance.
• The Japanese spindle 'Caty'®, on the other hand, has upright growth and large, white-green striped leaves.  So if you want to cover an open garden area, suppress the weeds and at the same time get more colour in your garden, spindles from the Lubera® Garden Shop are the right choice.

The right location

Spindles basically grow almost everywhere, from full sun to semi-shade to completely shady places. Because they are evergreen and the leaves evaporate water even in the winter in full sunlight, which may not be supplied by the roots when the soil is frozen, partial shade and shady locations are preferable. This is not a problem because most of the locations for ground cover are partially shaded by larger plants, flowering shrubs and trees. They prefer a moderately humid soil - of course without waterlogging. Very dry locations are not suitable. When planted in very shady locations, it may happen that the colourful Euonymus varieties are not quite as colourful and turn slightly green.

How hardy are evergreen Euonymus?

Here we have to distinguish between the two species E. japonica and E. fortunei. The Japanese spindle bushes, E. japonica, are hardy down to -13°C. They should, therefore, be treated more carefully because of their exotic origin, which is already apparent in their botanical name - japonica: In our climate, they should not be planted in full sunlight. In very cold winters with prolonged ground frost, they should also be given some additional protection against the cold, but above all against excessive sunlight. In Northern Germany and in milder regions, however, they can be cultivated without any problems. Euonymus fortunei, on the other hand, are hardier and can withstand temperatures down to -18°C; accordingly, they can also be planted in full sunlight. Especially for underplanting in a pot or tub, the more hardy spindle shrub species E. fortunei is preferable.

Use of creeping spindles - Euonymus fortunei

The E. fortunei spindle shrubs are also called creeping spindles because, unlike their Japanese cousins (E. japonica), they can also form very long shoots of up to 150 cm in length that crawl on the ground, sometimes even climb. They are therefore often used as an underplanting in a pot, troughs and boxes and then grow down over the edge of the pot in a colourful way. Very common is also the use in grave plantings and for the partial greening of rockeries. More rarely they are also used as climbing plants. They are well suited as a kind of low hedge plant to finish off flower beds. Depending on the variety, the shrubs can reach a final height of 10 to 60 cm, but on average 20 to 40 cm.

How to plant as a ground cover

Spindle bushes can be planted all year round, except during frost. It is very important that before planting, the well-rooted pot ball of the shrub is broken and torn open a little; this forces the roots to take root immediately after planting in their new home and helps them to gain a lasting foothold.

The planting hole, usually about 3 times the size of the root ball, should be provided with good drainage and filled with good garden soil. When planting ground cover, it is also important to make the area completely weed-free, loosen it up and add some compost or planting soil (preferably of course Fruitful Soil No. 2 from Lubera®) before planting. In this way, you create the best conditions in your garden for the young spindle bush plants to spread quickly and cover the soil completely. For quick and complete coverage of the area we recommend planting 6 to 9 spindle bushes per m².

The correct fertilisation

These plants should be fertilised in the spring, ideally directly after pruning. The administration of 50 g Frutilizer Compound Fertiliser Plus has proven to be effective for new plantings. Later, when re-fertilising an established planting, the amount of fertiliser applied to these undemanding ground cover plants can also be reduced slightly.

Pruning

Spindle bushes are generally extremely tolerant of cutting. The bushes can be pruned in autumn or in the spring before new shoots appear. A regular cut promotes the density of the branches. Euonymus also tolerates multiple prunings per year, so it is no problem to form small hedges and even figures from spindle bushes. Please note that in larger and established hedges, you should only prune in late autumn or early spring because of the possible presence of bird chicks.

Attention: the cuttings from spindle bushes must not be fed to animals!

All plant parts of spindle bushes contain poisonous substances. Cutting material must therefore not be fed to animals.