Looking To Propagate Euonymus Shrubs? Use One These Methods For Guaranteed Success
Elizabeth is a Permaculture Garden Designer, Sustainability Consultant and Professional Writer, working as an advocate for positive change. She graduated from the University of St. Andrews with an MA in English and Philosophy and obtained a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design from the Permaculture Association.
Reviewed By COLIN SKELLY
Colin is a Horticulturist and Horticultural Consultant with experience in a range of practical and managerial roles across heritage, commercial and public horticulture. He holds the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture award and has a particular interest in horticultural ecology and naturalistic planting for habitat and climate resilience.
IN THIS GUIDE
Euonymus are very useful shrubs and if you already have some in your garden, you may well wish to propagate your existing plants to obtain more.
How you will propagate euonymus will depend on which type you are growing.
The best means of propagation for the types most commonly grown in the UK is by means of semi-hardwood cuttings.
However, you can also grow some varieties from seed.
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Equipment Required | Seed tray or pots, secateurs, potting compost, rooting hormone |
| When To Propagate | Summer or autumn |
Growing From Seed
In November, wait until the seed capsules on an existing spindle break open to reveal the orange seeds within.
Take the orange seeds from their capsules, discard any that are damaged, and place the ones that look good into a bag filled with damp vermiculite or sharp sand.
Leave the bag slightly open to allow air inside.
Keep them warm at around 15°C for 10 weeks, making sure that they remain slightly moist but not wet.
Next, place them in the fridge for up to 16 weeks.
Check them regularly and when you see the first few seeds sprout, take the others and sow them right away.
Sow the seeds into pots filled with good quality, peat-free, seed-starting compost and grow them on, potting up as required, for another year or two before planting your new spindles out into their final growing positions.
Growing From Semi-Hardwood Cuttings
Semi-ripe cuttings of many types of euonymus can be taken between mid-summer and early autumn:
- Choose a healthy side-shoot of current season growth, which is firmer at the base and soft at the top.
- Take a cutting 10-15cm in length, cutting just below a leaf node.
- Remove the soft growth from the tip of the cutting, leaving around 4 leaves in place.
- Dip the end of the cutting into a rooting compound for the best results.
- Place the cutting in a pot filled with a cuttings potting mix.
- Grow on and continue to tend, watering when required and cuttings should root well over the next growing season.
- Plant out well-rooted cuttings when the weather warms during the second spring.
Both of these processes are time-consuming, though relatively straightforward, and could be good options to consider if you are interested in propagating your own plants at home.
While these methods are the best and offer the greatest chance of success, you might also try taking hardwood cuttings with a heel in autumn and rooting these in a cold frame.
This involves holding branches down below the soil with a wound on them, where roots can form, then severing the branch from the parent once the new section is well rooted.
“This method of propagation, called layering, is a great way to grow new shrubs, although it won’t work for all shrubs,” shares Horticulturist Colin Skelly.
“If you don’t have a greenhouse, this is a perfect way to grow more euonymus.”
