Keeping Euonymus Small Pruning Tips and Tricks
Euonymus is a popular landscape shrub known for its colorful evergreen foliage and dense, mounding growth habit. However, some varieties like the emerald green euonymus japonicus can reach 6-15 feet tall and wide at maturity. For homeowners with small spaces, keeping euonymus plants trimmed to a smaller size is essential. With proper pruning techniques, it is possible to maintain a compact, tidy euonymus hedge or shrub. Here are some tips for keeping euonymus small in your landscape.
Start Pruning Early
Attempt to shape euonymus when the plants are young and establish a compact framework early on. Pruning frequently and lightly while plants are juvenile makes it easier to restrict their ultimate size and promotes bushier new growth. Waiting to prune until plants are overgrown leads to leggy, bare-bottomed shrubs that are hard to reduce in size.
Prune After Bloom Period
Most varieties of euonymus bloom in late spring on last year’s growth. To preserve the seasonal flowers, delay pruning until just after the blooms fade in early summer. Pruning immediately after flowering allows plenty of time for new growth to harden off before winter. Make a habit of pruning annually at the same time each year.
Use Hand Pruners on Small Branches
For maintaining euonymus as a petite hedge or foundation shrub pruning frequently with hand pruners is ideal. Make small cuts often removing only an inch or two of new growth at a time to gently shape and restrict size. Frequent light pruning stimulates dense branching while eliminating long unruly stems.
Cut Back Wayward Stems
Scan the euonymus for vertical shoots that stick out beyond the basic mounded shape, as well as branches extending sideways beyond the desired footprint. Use sharp bypass pruners to cut these wayward stems back to an inward facing bud or side branch. Always make cuts just above healthy buds or leaves.
Thin Interior Growth
To allow light and air to penetrate a dense euonymus shrub, periodically thin out old inner stems at ground level. Removing the oldest branches down to the base improves air circulation and light exposure to keep plants healthy. Focus first on damaged or crossed branches.
Shear Very Lightly
For quick shaping of formal hedges, electric or manual hedge shears can be used to lightly trim euonymus. But take great care not to over shear, as cutting too much at once can leave stubs or uneven edges. Just lightly skim off the outermost branch tips following the natural arching form.
Avoid Drastic Reduction Cuts
Never remove more than one-third of the total foliage when pruning euonymus. Cutting back heavily into bare wood stresses plants, destroys the natural shape, and promotes leggy re-growth. Take a gradual approach to size reduction over two or three years for best results.
Time Cuts Properly
For best regrowth, prune spring-blooming euonymus right after flowers fade in early summer. Prune fall-blooming types in late winter just before new growth emerges. Pruning at the wrong time removes developing flower buds and new spring growth.
Disinfect Tools
Prevent the spread of disease by dipping pruner blades in rubbing alcohol or a diluted bleach solution after each cut. Clean tools are critical for healthy plants when pruning shrubs like euonymus prone to certain fungal diseases.
Consider Dwarf Cultivars
For very small spaces, instead of constantly battling to restrict the size of a large euonymus variety, choose a miniature cultivar better suited to your needs. Compact dwarf euonymus like ‘Emerald n Gold’, ‘Emerald Gaiety’, and ‘Emerald Charm’ have an inherently smaller mature size under 3 feet.
With strategic pruning cuts made at the right times, it is possible to maintain shrubby euonymus hedges and foundation plants at just the right size for your landscape vision. By following these tips, you can keep euonymus looking neat, tidy and petite for years to come. Be patient, prune lightly but frequently, and work with the plant’s natural form to retain its grace and beauty on a smaller scale.
EUONYMUS FORTUNEI ‘EMERALD N GOLD’
Another Euonymus Fortunei with a well deserved RHS Award of Garden Merit. It’s exactly the same as Emerald Gaiety (which was talked about above), but the leaves have a golden edge instead of a white one.
DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF EUONYMUS FORTUNEI
All the varieties share the ability to grow well in almost all conditions including dry, shade. They do however differ in colour and size as the following paragraphs show.
These plants are available in varying stages of development from almost all garden centres and online plant suppliers. The online supplier we personally recommend for Euonymus Fortunei is Crocus.
When shopping for Euonymus Fortunei varieties, it’s helpful to know that they don’t grow very fast—no more than 10 cm/4 in per year at most. This often explains the significant difference in price between young and older plants.
Let’s Talk Euonymus Bushes and Which to Plant | NatureHills.com
FAQ
Is there a dwarf euonymus plant?
What is the problem with euonymus?
Can euonymus be shaped?
How much can you cut back Euonymus?
Can Euonymus be pruned?
Pruning euonymus hedges is usually done by shearing. Some gardeners like to prune individual shrubs into squares or other shapes. However, evergreen shrubs look best and are healthiest when their natural shape is retained. These shrubs should only be sheared if used in formal hedges.
Should you cut back evergreen Euonymus?
When you are cutting back an evergreen euonymus, put aside your fear of killing it. Unless you cut off all the green shoots on a branch, you will not do irreparable harm. That’s because broadleaf evergreens, including evergreen euonymus, have latent buds along their branches.
Do Euonymus grow well?
Euonymus are happier than most shrubs in coastal conditions, where they can tolerate the salt in the air, and also grow well in soils that are limey. No special care is needed to keep euonymus growing well, as they are low-maintenance shrubs. Simply feed annually with a shrub fertilizer (available on Amazon), and renew the mulch every year or two.
Is Euonymus a shrub?
Euonymus can be deciduous or evergreen shrubs and are extremely useful for bringing year-round interest in the garden, with many varieties suited to different uses in a garden, from hedging to wall or ground cover. Euonymus can be pretty low-maintenance plants, especially once established.
How do I care for a Euonymus?
Now that you’ve got a Euonymus in the ground, it’s time to take care of it. The following tips are general recommendations for the genus, but depending on the particular species you’re growing, you may have to modify them a bit. These plants need to be in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 8 in order to thrive.
Are Euonymus low-maintenance?
Euonymus can be pretty low-maintenance plants, especially once established. As long as you choose the right option and grow it in the right location, you should find that it takes little care. Euonymus (AKA ‘Spindles’) are generally quite slow-growing and well-formed; neither deciduous nor evergreen types necessarily have to be pruned at all.