Euonymus fortunei Sunspot - Spindle

Euonymus fortunei 'Sunspot' is a creeping spindle tree with remarkable foliage. It is golden yellow margined with dark green, ideal for adding decorative interest throughout the year to semi-shaded areas of the garden. Its bright yellow stems add to its brilliance, as does the autumnal colour of its foliage, which is yellow margined with pink to red. Over time, it forms a dense ground cover that is elegant while keeping weeds at bay. Undemanding and very hardy, it prefers partial shade and soils that remain moist.

Native to Asia and northern China, Euonymus fortunei is a slow-growing ground cover shrub in the Celastraceae family. It is perfectly hardy and tolerant of limestone in the soil.

The 'Sunspot' variety is appreciated for its variegated yellow foliage, yellow branches, and dense habit, which is rather creeping in its early years and then becomes bushier. At maturity, this cultivar will reach about 40 to 45cm (16 to 18in) in height with a spread of 70 to 80cm (28 to 32in) at most. It develops flexible, almost horizontal branches that are a striking bright yellow when young. The evergreen, elliptical, serrated leaves, 3 to 4cm (1 to 2in) long, are shiny, and bright yellow from the petiole to the centre of the lamina. This yellow macula is more or less bordered by green. Some young spring shoots are entirely yellow and enhance the brilliance of this spindle tree. In autumn, due to the cold, the green edge takes on a pink to red colouration that is very ornamental, especially if the plant is exposed to the sun. In spring, inconspicuous flowering sometimes appears in the form of small clusters of white-greenish flowers. They give way to a few non-edible red berries, appreciated by birds. 

Euonymus fortunei 'Sunspot' grows in any well-drained soil that retains moisture, in a non-arid situation, preferably in partial shade to preserve the beauty of its foliage. Pruning is unnecessary. It is better to pinch the young plants to encourage branching and only remove dead or diseased wood. Ideal for adding colour and vibrancy to shaded areas, it can be used in pots or containers on a patio, in a rockery or border, and even to highlight the curve of a path or the steps of a stone staircase, or to cover a retaining wall. It is useful for greening a wall, as its branches are likely to cling to a vertical surface without becoming uncontrollable. Mix it with other solid ground cover plants such as Waldsteinia ternata, bergenia, creeping cotoneasters, or other varieties of variegated creeping spindle trees.