SHRUBS > EUONYMUS > PRUNING

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EUONYMUS GUIDES

euonymus shrub with green and yellow variegated leaves growing outside

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genus Euonymus can be deciduous or evergreen shrubs and are highly useful for bringing yr - round interest in the garden , with many varieties fit to different uses in a garden , from hedging to paries or ground cover .

Euonymus can be pretty lowly - maintenance plants , especially once established .

yellow and green leaves of Euonymus japonicus looking a little withered after winter

As long as you select the good option and produce it in the right-hand location , you should find that it takes trivial care .

Euonymus ( AKA ‘ Spindles ’ ) are generally quite slow - growing and well - formed ; neither deciduous nor evergreen type of necessity have to be pruned at all .

However , many gardeners will favour to keep their gardens looking practiced with a slight light pruning , and when evergreen type are maturate in hedgesor topiary anatomy , then they will be snip more oftentimes to be keep under control .

large round winged-spindle shrub with red leaves growing in a border with many trees in the background

Evergreen genus Euonymus can also be pruned more badly in monastic order to renovate a bush that no longer take care its upright to spur it into lot of new growth .

When To Prune

If you are prune a euonymus shrub , then the best time to do so is typically in late wintertime or early spring .

With flowering type that bloom in spring , pruning is often convey out directly after flowering .

When deciding when to rationalise a specific genus Euonymus , it is always upright to think about what you wish to achieve .

variegated green and yellow leaves from a euonymus growing outdoors

upkeep pruning ( polish off dead or damaged material and giving the plant a general light tidy ) is undertaken in later winter or other spring .

A hedging or other more shaped and stately bush might additionally be pruned in summertime .

With most euonymus , however , it is best not to prune too late in the time of year as this can lead to the scathe of new development by wintertime frosts .

secateurs being used to cut a branch from a spindle plant

Pruning Deciduous Types

Deciduous types of euonymus , like European mandrel andE. alata , do not usually require much , if any , cut back at all .

These shrub stand - alone with well - shaped build and are clean well - behave amid other shrubs and otherplantings in a bedor border .

Though these shrub can also be used in hedging , like the evergreen plant case below , they are typically looser and used in more informal hedge that are will in a wilder and more naturalistic human body .

bare deciduous euonymus growing against a wooden trellis being pruned by a pair of secateurs with a blue sky in the background

So , if any pruning is carried out , this is typically curtail to cut out any all in or discredited material , and perhaps any branches that are growing in the wrong direction here and there .

Pruning Evergreen Types

Evergreen euonymus , likeE. fortunei and E. japonicus , are also often best give to develop somewhat naturally without too much shaping , as they often retain a pleasing shape .

Some , of course , produce much larger and taller than others , so it is important to choose a flora that suits the size of the quad useable .

However , there are three types of pruning that might be undertaken , depending on your specific neediness and needs :

1) Maintenance Pruning

Typically , in a more naturalistic scheme , you will simply necessitate to prune out any dead , damaged or unsightly material in tardy winter or early springtime .

This is not always required , but you may also give the works a illumination trim all over to encourage bushiness and unexampled ontogenesis each yr .

you’re able to also cut down thinly to curtail the size of it of the works or to give it a less lopsided visual aspect if it has become a little spotty .

2) Pruning For Hedging Or Topiary Forms

If you are pruning euonymus to keep back the shape of a hedging or topiary frame , then pruning will typically have to be more precise .

With a lax and cozy hedge , pruning will not really be necessary , other than perhaps a light clipping here and there to keep back the conformation .

However , with a neat , formal hedging or topiary phase , more neat and exact pruning for shaping and restrict growing will typically be need .

In addition to a lightheaded prune in later wintertime or early leaping , you might also wish to undertake a further clipping in the summertime months .

It is estimable to use a pair of secateurs or loppers rather than sidestep trimming capacitor to keep a formal euonymus hedge look its best .

“ With evergreen plant big leaved shrub , cutting with hedge   trimmers will cut across folio exit unsightly browning or die back , ” say Colin Skelly , Professional Horticulturist .

“ or else , cut back to where the leaf joins a stem or a theme link a limb . This will leave a neater shrub but avoid unsightly leafage cuts . ”

3) Renovation Pruning

While hard pruning is not typically required for spindle works , every now and then it may be good to shorten back euonymus bush much harder , to improve the appearance and vigour of a mature bush or ageing hedgerow .

Evergreen genus Euonymus can be cut right back by 30 - 50 % to plant a lush and bushy form without gaps or Sir Henry Wood - showing sections .

While it will take a little time for the plant to return to its former glory , it will typically look better once it does .

Just take down that this more drastic pruning is not worthy for all genus Euonymus types , so make trusted you are cognizant of the characteristics of the specific euonymus you are growing before you take the decision to dramatically renovate your bush or hedging .