BBC Gardeners' World

Plant details

• Common Name: Euonymus
• Genus: Euonymus
• Species: fortunei
• Cultivar: 'Emerald Gaiety'
• Skill Level: beginner
• Exposure: full sun, partial shade, shade
• Hardiness: hardy
• Soil type: chalky/alkaline, clay/heavy, moist, well-drained/light
• Height: 1m
• Spread: 1.5m
• Flowering period: May to June
• Time to take cuttings: April to July

This is one of the most versatile and least demanding evergreen shrubs, happy in full sun or fairly deep shade and in dry soils. There are many varieties of this plant, both green and variegated, all worth growing. 'Emerald Gaiety' is a popular coloured form, with irregular white leaf margins and conspicuous pink tints during winter. It makes an excellent specimen shrub, formal hedge and climber on walls. Cut back by one-third the first spring after planting to encourage bushy growth, and remove any plain green reverted stems whenever seen. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).