‘Emerald Gaiety’ And ‘Pink Delight’ – Here’s 15 Euonymus Shrubs In Various Forms
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
- 1) E. alatus ‘Compactus’
- 2) E. alatus ‘Fire Ball’
- 3) E. cornutus var. quinquecornutus
- 4) E. europaeus ‘Red Cascade’
- 5) E. europaeus ‘Thornhayes’
- 6) E. fortunei ‘Emerald Gaiety’
- 7) E. fortunei ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’
- 8) E. fortunei ‘Emerald Surprise’
- 9) E. fortunei ‘Kewensis’
- 10) E. fortunei ‘Wolong Ghost’
- 11) E. hamiltonianus ‘Pink Delight’
- 12) E. japonicus ‘Microphyllus Aureovariegatus’
- 13) E. japonicus ‘Chollipo’
- 14) E. phellomanus
- 15) E. planipes ‘Sancho’
Euonymus shrubs are popular shrubs that can be evergreen or deciduous and can differ greatly in their size, growth habit and appearance.
If you would like to grow euonymus in your garden then you may become overwhelmed by the many different species and cultivars that you might choose.
Hopefully my list of 15 handpicked varieties that are my personal favourites might help you make up your mind!
Bear in mind that all of the varieties in this list can be grown in full sun or partial shade in an exposed or sheltered location and can grow in any fertile soil.
1) E. alatus ‘Compactus’
- COMMON NAME(S): Compact winged spindle
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FOLIAGE: Green, pink & red
- FOLIAGE TYPE: Deciduous
- FLOWERS: Green
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Spring
- FRUIT: Orange, purple and red
- FRUIT SEASON(S): Autumn
This compact form of winged-spindle is a small deciduous shrub growing around 1m tall and 1.5m wide.
It develops prominent corky ridges on the branches and the foliage turns red in the autumn.
Small green flowers are followed by red-purple fruits with orange seeds inside in autumn.
2) E. alatus ‘Fire Ball’
- COMMON NAME(S): winged spindle ‘fire ball’
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FOLIAGE: Green & red
- FOLIAGE TYPE: Deciduous
- FLOWERS: Green
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Spring
- FRUIT: Orange and purple
- FRUIT SEASON(S): Summer / Autumn
A dense and round-formed deciduous shrub which grows to around 1.5m, this is a slightly larger varietal.
Its matt-green foliage turns a vivid, fiery red in the autumn months.
Again, you can also see small green flowers in spring which are followed by reddish-purple fruits and as the year wears on, these fruits split open to reveal orange seeds.
3) E. cornutus var. quinquecornutus
- COMMON NAME(S): five-horned spindle
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FOLIAGE: Green
- FOLIAGE TYPE: Deciduous
- FLOWERS: Green & purple
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
- FRUIT: Orange, purple & pink
- FRUIT SEASON(S): Summer / Autumn
Five-horned spindle is a deciduous, spreading shrub which grows to around 2m tall and 3m wide.
It has narrow, lance-like leaves of dark green.
In summer, this shrub bears small purplish-green flowers which are followed by pinky-purple fruits.
The fruits have five slender horn-like protuberances which look like a jester’s hat and break open to reveal bright orange seeds.
4) E. europaeus ‘Red Cascade’
- COMMON NAME(S): spindle ‘red cascade’
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FOLIAGE: Green & red
- FOLIAGE TYPE: Deciduous
- FLOWERS: Green & yellow
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
- FRUIT: Orange & pink
- FRUIT SEASON(S): Autumn
This European spindle is a large and vigorous deciduous shrub, growing to around 3m.
It has oval leaves that turn bright red in autumn and small yellow-green flowers, which are followed by bright rose-pink fruits that break open to reveal the orange seeds within.
5) E. europaeus ‘Thornhayes’
- COMMON NAME(S): white spindle ‘thornhayes’
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FOLIAGE: Green & bronze
- FOLIAGE TYPE: Deciduous
- FLOWERS: Green & white
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
- FRUIT: Orange & pink
- FRUIT SEASON(S): Autumn / Winter
Another great European spindle to grow, this option grows to around the same size as the above and is also deciduous.
It has dark green foliage that develops bronze tints in autumn.
The flowers are green and white; inconspicuous but rich in nectar.
These are followed by bright pink fruits with four lobes which break open revealing the orange seeds within, lasting well into winter to bring interest to the garden at the coldest time of year.
6) E. fortunei ‘Emerald Gaiety’
- COMMON NAME(S): spindle ’emerald gaiety’
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- FOLIAGE: Green, white & pink
- FOLIAGE TYPE: Evergreen
- FLOWERS: Green
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
This is a small evergreen euonymus that forms small bushy evergreen shrubs, but will also climb when placed against a wall or fence.
The rounded green leaves have an irregular white margin around each one and are tinged pink in the winter.
Unfortunately, the flowers are rarely seen.
This variety is H5 hardy.
7) E. fortunei ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’
- COMMON NAME(S): spindle ’emerald ‘n’ gold’
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- FOLIAGE: Green, yellow & pink
- FOLIAGE TYPE: Evergreen
- FLOWERS: Green
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
This dwarf evergreen shrub has a spreading habit and grows around 1m tall with a spread of 1.5m.
It has green leaves with broad yellow margins, tinged pinkish in the winter, and a few small and inconspicuous greenish flowers are sometimes produced in summer.
Grow in partial or full shade, or in full sun in a moist location.
8) E. fortunei ‘Emerald Surprise’
- COMMON NAME(S): spindle ’emerald surprise’
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- FOLIAGE: Green & yellow
- FOLIAGE TYPE: Evergreen
- FLOWERS: Green
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
‘Emerald Surprise’ is an evergreen growing up to 1m in height with a spread of 1.5m.
It has broad leaves that have a bright green hue with broad bright yellow margins, and the leaves are also sometimes tinged pink in the winter.
9) E. fortunei ‘Kewensis’
- COMMON NAME(S): spindle ‘kewensis’
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- FOLIAGE: Green & red
- FOLIAGE TYPE: Evergreen
Growing just 10cm or so tall and spreading up to around 50cm, this small evergreen shrub forms a dense mat of ground cover.
It has tiny leathery leaves of green, which can get red tints in autumn.
“E. fortunei ‘Kewensis’ is a great ground cover plant, helping to retain moisture and suppress weeds, but I find that is also loose enough to allow bulbs to burst through in spring,” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly.
10) E. fortunei ‘Wolong Ghost’
- COMMON NAME(S): spindle ‘wolong ghost’
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- FOLIAGE: Green
- FOLIAGE TYPE: Evergreen
This is another mat-forming evergreen euonymus variety but it can also be a climber when provided with some support.
This has slender dark green foliage with prominent pale veining.
11) E. hamiltonianus ‘Pink Delight’
- COMMON NAME(S): spindle ‘pink delight’
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FOLIAGE: Green and pink
- FOLIAGE TYPE: Deciduous
- FLOWERS: Green & white
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
- FRUIT: Pink
- FRUIT SEASON(S): Autumn
This deciduous spindle shrub can grow between 2.5-4m in height with a spread of 1.5-2.5m.
It has large oval mid-green hued leaves which turn a dark pink in the autumn.
In summer, the shrub bears small white and green flowers and these are followed by pink fruits which split open to reveal dark pink seeds.
12) E. japonicus ‘Microphyllus Aureovariegatus’
- COMMON NAME(S): spindle ‘Microphyllus Aureovariegatus’
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- FOLIAGE: Green & yellow
- FOLIAGE TYPE: Evergreen
Also known as ‘Ovatus Aureus’, this is a bushy and medium-sized evergreen with bright yellow-gold oval leaves that later mature to yellowish-green with wide yellow margins.
13) E. japonicus ‘Chollipo’
- COMMON NAME(S): spindle ‘chollipo’
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- FOLIAGE: Green & cream
- FOLIAGE TYPE: Evergreen
- FLOWERS: Green
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
- FRUIT: Pink
- FRUIT SEASON(S): Autumn
This is a busy evergreen shrub with rounded leaves.
The leaves are a rich deep green, with yellowish-cream margins.
Again, this plant will not typically produce flowers or fruits.
14) E. phellomanus
- COMMON NAME(S): corky spindle
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FOLIAGE: Green & yellow
- FOLIAGE TYPE: Deciduous
- FLOWERS: Green & yellow
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Spring
- FRUIT: Pink
- FRUIT SEASON(S): Autumn
Corky spindle is a large deciduous shrub which grows up to 4m tall with a spread of 2.5m.
It has corky-winged branches, mid-green foliage, and greenish-yellow flowers that are followed by fruits with a bright pink hue in the autumn.
15) E. planipes ‘Sancho’
- COMMON NAME(S): flat-stalked spindle ‘sancho’
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- FOLIAGE: Green & red
- FLOWERS: Green
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Summer
- FRUIT: Orange & red
- FRUIT SEASON(S): Autumn
This cultivar is a free-flowering variety of flat-stalked spindles.
The flowers lead to an abundance of red fruits in the autumn, which add visual appeal alongside the red autumn foliage.
Of course, these are not the only options you might consider, but when looking for a euonymus variety to grow in your garden, these options listed above can be a good place to start.
