Moonshadow wintercreeper

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; light afternoon shade helps in hot climates. Dense shade reduces colour and encourages loose growth.

Water

Water regularly while establishing, then during prolonged dry spells. Avoid persistently wet soil.

Soil

Most well-drained soils, including clay improved for drainage; tolerates acidic to alkaline conditions.

Height

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) as a low shrub; potentially taller if allowed to climb

Spread

3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m), eventually wider where stems root

Foliage

Evergreen. Small, leathery, oval leaves with irregular yellow centres and dark green margins. Yellow areas may become cream with age, and foliage can develop pink tones in cold weather.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Medium

• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.5 ft (0.45 m)

   full size

About 5 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Invasive in

the US

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Moderate

• Water deeply during the first growing season whenever the upper soil begins to dry.
• Apply a thin layer of compost in spring; feed only if growth is poor.
• Mulch around the roots, keeping mulch clear of the main stems.
• Remove solid-green shoots at their point of origin before they overtake the variegated growth.
• Keep trailing stems away from tree trunks and remove unwanted rooted sections.

Pruning. Trim in spring after the worst frosts to maintain a compact outline, cutting long shoots back to leafy side shoots. Remove reverted green growth, dead stems and unwanted climbing shoots whenever noticed.

Early spring

Check for winter damage and prune dead or damaged stems once severe frosts have passed.

Spring

Plant in well-drained ground, water thoroughly and apply mulch.

Late spring

Inspect stems and leaf undersides for scale insects; remove solid-green shoots.

Summer

Water new plants during dry weather and trim shoots spreading beyond their allotted space.

Late summer

Take semi-ripe cuttings from healthy, clearly variegated shoots if propagation is permitted locally.

Autumn

Remove unwanted rooted stems and check that growth is not climbing nearby trees.

Winter

Check container plants during dry, frost-free spells and water if the compost is drying out.

• Use as a low edging beside paths where regular trimming can keep the outline clear.
• Plant beneath taller shrubs to brighten their lower branches with yellow-and-green foliage.
• Combine with dark-leaved heucheras or green ferns for foliage contrast.
• Grow in a large container to display trailing stems while limiting spread.

Garden styles it suits: Traditional, Formal, Modern courtyard, Small-space, Winter interest and Urban city garden.

Plant it with: Heuchera, Hellebores, Japanese forest grass, Hardy geraniums, Christmas fern and Dwarf Japanese holly.

Wildlife: Small greenish flowers can attract insects, and birds may eat the fruit and disperse its seeds. Low, regularly trimmed plants often flower little; this is not a good choice for habitat planting where wintercreeper is invasive.

• Euonymus scale: look for white or brown scale covers on stems and leaves. Prune heavily infested growth and use a labelled horticultural oil at the appropriate stage, following temperature restrictions.
• Powdery mildew: white patches may develop in sheltered, crowded growth. Improve airflow, avoid excessive feeding and remove badly affected shoots.
• Root rot: yellowing and dieback can follow prolonged waterlogging. Improve drainage and avoid planting in persistently wet ground.
• Loss of variegation or excessive spread: cut solid-green shoots back to their origin and lift unwanted rooted stems before they establish.

Treat all parts as toxic if eaten by people, cats, dogs or horses, especially the fruit and seeds. Ingestion can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain; substantial amounts may cause serious effects, including heart disturbances. Seek medical or veterinary advice after ingestion.

Where it spreads. Euonymus fortunei spreads aggressively and is listed as invasive in many eastern, southeastern and midwestern US states, including Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana. It escapes cultivation, roots along trailing stems and climbs trees; birds can spread seeds from mature flowering growth. 'Moonshadow' is not a reliably non-invasive exception.

• Emerald 'n' Gold wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald 'n' Gold')

  Its leaves have green centres and yellow margins, the reverse of Moonshadow's usual pattern.

• Emerald Gaiety wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald Gaiety')

  Its leaves have green centres edged in white rather than yellow centres edged in green.

• Golden Japanese spindle (Euonymus japonicus 'Aureomarginatus')

  It forms a more upright shrub with larger leaves edged in yellow and does not usually form rooting groundcover stems.

The species name fortunei honours plant collector Robert Fortune, while wintercreeper describes its evergreen foliage and creeping growth.

Propagation. Root semi-ripe cuttings in summer or separate naturally rooted stems in spring. Select shoots with the correct variegation, and do not propagate where planting wintercreeper is restricted or discouraged.

Accepted botanical name

Euonymus fortunei

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Assam, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Hainan, Japan, Jawa, Korea, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Manchuria and Myanmar.

Measured

Soil pH 5 to 7.5. Average height 305 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.