Golden Euonymus Care: Growing Golden Euonymus Shrubs In The Garden

Golden Euonymus Shrub
golden euonymus 1
(Image credit: Gardening Know How, via Nikki Tilley)

Growing golden euonymous shrubs (Euonymus japonicus 'Aureo-marginatus') bring color and texture to your garden. This evergreen offers forest-green foliage that is broadly trimmed in bright golden yellow, making the shrub ideal for bright hedges or accent plants. You’ll find another enticing reason to start growing golden euonymous shrubs if you learn just how easy golden euonymous care can be. Read on for more golden euonymous information.

Golden Euonymous Information

Golden euonymous information tells you that this is a very dense shrub with an oval shape if grown in full sun. The thick foliage makes it ideal for a privacy or even a sound hedge. The shrubs are really striking in the garden. The eyonymous leaves are leathery to the touch and grow up to three inches (7.5 cm.) long. The boldly variegated foliage is the star here. Most leaves are emerald green splashed liberally with buttercup yellow. But, occasionally, you’ll get branches where all of the leaves are solid yellow. Don’t expect showy flowers. The greenish-white blossoms appear in spring but you may not even notice them. They are inconspicuous. Golden euonymous shrubs can grow to 10 feet (3 m.) high and 6 feet (2 m.) wide. One alone can make a stunning statement in your garden. However, the dense foliage of these evergreen plants adapts readily to pruning and even shearing, so they are often used as hedges.

How to Grow Golden Euonymous Shrubs

If you are wondering how to grow golden euonymous shrubs, it isn’t very difficult. You’ll need to plant them in a sunny spot, provide weekly irrigation and fertilize them annually. Consider growing golden euonymous shrubs if you live in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6-9. When you start growing golden euonymous shrubs, you’ll do best to select a site with moist, fertile, well-drained soil. However, don’t worry too much about your soil type as long as it drains well. The bushes are tolerant and will accept almost any kind of soil.

Caring for Golden Euonymous Shrubs

Euonymous shrubs are not high maintenance. However, caring for golden euonymous shrubs requires more effort the year they are planted. They will require regular water – up to twice a week – until the root system has established. After that, a weekly watering is usually sufficient. Provide a balanced fertilizer in early spring. Use a slightly lower dose than recommended on the label to avoid burning the roots. If necessary, repeat in mid-autumn. Golden euonymous care includes an annual pruning if planted in a hedge or you want your garden to look neat and tidy. Left to their own devices, they may outgrow the space you have set aside for them.

Teo Spengler
Writer

Teo Spengler has been gardening for 30 years. She is a docent at the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Her passion is trees, 250 of which she has planted on her land in France.