An elegant tree will decorate a personal plot not only in summer, but also in autumn. You can grow euonymus in several ways, which you will learn by reading the review presented to your attention. Euonymus (lat. Euonymus) is a unique plant. In September, when there are already few bright colors in the garden, it will delight with multi-colored foliage and decorative fruits that look like small lanterns. One leaf can be colored yellow, orange, red, white, purple, carmine at the same time. By October, the tree becomes even more beautiful, it decorates the garden with its bright fruits until severe frosts.
Euonymus: varieties and description of the shrub
Euonymus is a woody plant. The genus Euonymus will be united by low evergreen and deciduous shrubs and trees. The plant is used to create hedges, fences, buildings. A single plant looks spectacular against the background of an emerald lawn.
In total, there are about 200 species of this plant, about 20 species are cultivated in Russia. It clearly shows what an euonymus looks like, photo.
1. Homeland of the European Euonymus Europe (Spain)
This plant is a tree or shrub seven meters high. Cork growths on the branches make them tetrahedral. The tree blooms in May - June, the fruits ripen in September. They are very decorative, the seeds are white, red or black, the capsules are pink. The variety is drought-resistant.
2. Warty euonymus
came to us from the temperate latitudes of Eurasia. It comes in the form of a small tree up to six meters high or a bush that rushes up to 3.5 meters. Flowering occurs in May-June. The ripe capsule turns red, the seeds turn gray or black. The fruits acquire such decorative effect in August or September.
3. Dwarf euonymus
also comes from Eurasia. Its shoots are vertical, grow up to 1 meter. Its leaves are narrow-lanceolate, the ripe fruit-capsules are yellow-greenish. The plant is shade-loving. It can be propagated by layering, cuttings, seeds, dividing bushes.
4. Winged Euonymus
in its homeland - the Far East, it grows in height by 2 meters. In middle latitudes, it is a small shrub, reaching 1 meter. Fruits ripened by autumn turn dark red. By this time, the leaves turn from green to bright red. This variety is also shade-tolerant.
5. Japanese euonymus
also grows well in partial shade. In the south, it is a tall plant up to 7 meters high or a shrub. In the Moscow region it is a shrub 50 cm high. Flowers bloom in June, then they are yellow-green. This plant can be grown in a bright room at home. An important condition is that it is not heated. Otherwise, the plant may shed its leaves in winter. The optimum air temperature during this period is +5 - + 10 ° С.
Attention
Euonymus berries are poisonous to humans, therefore, in no case should they be eaten, despite the fact that birds eat them.
Reproduction of euonymus
Most often, euonymus is propagated by layering or root suckers, less often by cuttings and seeds. The root offspring must be dug with a shovel, with it or with an ax, chop off the junction of the roots with the mother bush, and then plant it in a permanent place.
In the photo of Euonymus fortunei "Emerald Gaiety" (London) Spindle tree cuttings are also not particularly difficult. In June-July, choose young, firm enough shoots. Cut them into small cuttings with one internode. Plant in fertile soil, sprinkle with a 5 cm layer of sand on top. You can root the cuttings at home in containers or under a film in a greenhouse. After 1, 5 months, the root system will develop and you can plant the plant in your chosen permanent place.
It is a little more difficult to propagate euonymus by seeds. Ripe seeds collected in the fall must be cleaned of impurities from seed plants and treated with a pink solution of potassium permanganate. Then they are lowered into the ground to a depth of 2 cm, sprinkled with soil. For the winter, this place is covered with straw or sheet to avoid freezing.
If you rescheduled sowing to next year, then the seeds need to be stratified. First, they are also etched in potassium permanganate, then mixed with sand or sphagnum peat and placed for 3-4 months in a room where the temperature is +10 - + 12 ° C. After that, it is reduced to 0 - + 3 ° C and stored under these conditions for another 4–5 months.
Planting euonymus
The photo shows a golden euonymus For euonymus, slightly alkaline fertile soils are suitable. On acidic ones, it will grow poorly, so they must be lime in advance. The shrub also does not like a high level of groundwater, so choose a comfortable place for it on the site.
When choosing it for euonymus, keep in mind that it grows greatly in width, and some varieties also grow in height. Therefore, plant it at a sufficient distance from other trees, fence, buildings.
Dwarf specimens can be planted in large boxes, placed in the garden, and with the arrival of frost, brought into the house and grown in a bright room at +5 - + 10 ° C. Then the winter garden will be beautiful at this time of the year.
If you want to plant euonymus in a permanent place, dig a hole in the selected area for it in autumn or spring. It should be twice the size of the seedling's earthen root ball. Add compost or humus to the grooves, spill the hole with water and lower the seedling.
Then sprinkle the excavated earth on the voids, tamp the soil around the plant and water it a little more, but from above. Cover the area with peat or cover it with bark. Sometimes you need to add new peat, it will prevent the formation of a soil crust. Will retain moisture and inhibit weed growth.
Euonymus care
In the photo, the southern Japanese euonymus Euonymus grows very quickly and requires formative pruning. Some species of this plant are pruned to give it a beautiful shape, while in others it is sometimes necessary to remove dried branches with a pruner.
In hot summers, water the plant infrequently but generously. Here is such a simple care for this ornamental shrub.
Pest and disease control
The main diseases and pests of euonymus are caterpillar, mold, aphids, mealybug.
Interestingly, with the help of a spindle tree, you can save apple trees from caterpillars. If you notice a cobweb with caterpillar nests on this decorative tree, then on the apple trees that grow nearby, they will not be. This pest can be fought with folk and chemical means.
In hot and dry weather, spider mites can attack euonymus. Dots on the leaves of a silvery color will tell you about this. To fight the mite, water the plant regularly, as the pest does not like damp air. You can spray the leaves with a solution of laundry soap.
That is, in principle, all the worries about the euonymus. In response to them, this unpretentious plant will delight the gardener with its amazing appearance, help to get a large harvest of apples, arrange a picturesque hedge, and hide unsightly buildings.
In the photo Euonymus "Sunspot"
The photo shows a dwarf winged euonymus Video on the topic:
