Spindle (European spindle)

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; autumn colour and fruiting are usually best in sun.

Water

Moderate; keep young plants evenly moist. Established plants tolerate short dry spells but benefit from watering during prolonged drought.

Soil

Well-drained loam, clay or chalk; tolerates alkaline soil and some seasonal moisture, but not persistent waterlogging.

Height

12-20 ft (3.7-6 m)

Spread

10-15 ft (3-4.6 m)

Flowers

Small, inconspicuous yellow-green flowers in late spring to early summer.

Foliage

Opposite, oval, finely toothed green leaves, often turning red or pink-red in autumn; colour varies with the plant and conditions.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Cold hardy
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

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

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

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

1. Planting day

   1.9 ft (0.58 m)

2. After 1 year

   5 ft (1.4 m)

3. After 2 years

   8 ft (2.3 m)

4. After 3 years

   10 ft (3.1 m)

5. After 5 years

   16 ft (4.9 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

Native to

the UK

Invasive in

the US and Canada

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Moderate

• Water deeply during dry spells for the first two growing seasons.
• Apply a 2-3 in (5-8 cm) layer of organic mulch in spring, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Avoid routine feeding on reasonably fertile soil; use compost if growth is weak.
• Remove unwanted seedlings and suckers before they become established.
• Leave room for its mature width rather than repeatedly clipping it to fit.

Pruning. Prune in late winter or early spring, removing dead, damaged or crossing branches and thinning crowded stems at their base. Keep pruning light to retain the natural shape and avoid reducing the following fruit display.

Autumn

Plant while the soil is moist and workable; water thoroughly.

Late winter

Remove damaged or crossing branches and thin congested growth.

Spring

Renew mulch and remove unwanted seedlings.

Late spring

Check shoots for aphids and scale insects; treat only significant infestations.

Summer

Water young plants during dry weather and watch for caterpillar webbing.

Late autumn

Remove fallen fruits where children or pets could eat them.

• Include in a mixed deciduous hedge for autumn colour and fruit.
• Plant at a sunny woodland edge with hazel, dogwood and shade-tolerant groundcover.
• Use as a loose, multi-stemmed specimen with enough space to show its branching habit.
• Set against dark evergreen foliage to make the pink fruits and autumn leaves more visible.

Garden styles it suits: English country, Woodland, Wildlife garden, Native hedgerow, Autumn colour and Traditional.

Plant it with: Common hazel, Common dogwood, Guelder rose, Hawthorn, Hardy geraniums and Male fern.

Wildlife: Flowers feed small pollinating insects, and birds eat the orange-coated seeds and disperse them. In its native European range, spindle supports specialist insects, including spindle ermine moth caterpillars.

• Euonymus scale can cause yellowing and dieback: prune out badly affected shoots and use a locally approved horticultural oil when vulnerable young scales are active.
• Aphids can curl young leaves: dislodge small colonies with water and encourage ladybirds and other predators.
• Spindle ermine moth caterpillars can web branches and strip leaves: remove accessible webs early; established plants usually recover without spraying.
• Powdery mildew may coat leaves in dry, crowded conditions: improve airflow, water the root zone during drought and avoid excessive nitrogen feeding.

Toxic to people, cats, dogs and horses if eaten. All parts should be treated as poisonous, especially the fruits and seeds; ingestion can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain, with potentially serious heart and nervous-system effects in severe cases. Seek medical or veterinary advice promptly after suspected ingestion.

Where it spreads. Introduced plants can escape through bird-dispersed seed and form dense growth in parts of the northeastern and midwestern United States, including the Great Lakes region, and in southern Ontario, Canada. Check local invasive-plant guidance before planting there. It is native in the United Kingdom.

• Winged spindle (Euonymus alatus)

  Usually has conspicuous corky wings along its branches and a denser, broader habit; European spindle generally lacks these broad corky wings.

• Broad-leaved spindle (Euonymus latifolius)

  Has larger, broader leaves and typically five-lobed, winged fruit capsules rather than European spindle's usually four-lobed capsules.

• Japanese spindle (Euonymus japonicus)

  Keeps its thick, glossy, leathery leaves through winter; European spindle has thinner leaves and is deciduous.

The common name refers to the traditional use of its hard wood for making spindles, while europaeus means European.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings in summer. Seed needs a warm period followed by cold stratification and may take more than a year to germinate; seedlings may differ from named cultivars.

Accepted botanical name

Euonymus europaeus

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Albania, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central European Rus, Corse, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East European Russia and France.

Measured

Soil pH 7 to 7.5. Average height 300 cm.

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