Evening star., 1953-09-13
Euonymus for the Garden
Evergreen Varieties Are Now Practical
Since Development of MoIothon Spray
BY ". H. Younemon
Gl Ella.

Nearly every gardener at one =,
time or another has received a |
slip OF an evergreen form of the |
anonymous. They are so easy to |
propagate that the giving of slips |
or rooted cuttings has been
matter of neighborly courtesy.
However, sooner or later they
became infected with the scale |
and became so disreputable they |
were discarded. Few undertook !
to control the scale because the
use of summer oils, the recon-
mended control, is rather much |
of chore for the home gardener.
Actually the winged Euonym1s
(EuonymuS alatus) was the only
form recommended by the writer
because of the scale problem. The
winged Euonymus is deciduouS
and unaffected by the scale.
However, the advent of Malathon
this spring has made available to
the home gardener a control for
the scale on evergreen Euonymus
which is no harded to handle
than an all-purpoSe rose spray
1t is a potent insecticide that is
safe to use if the precautions
given on the label are followed.
Now that the scale can be con-
trolled 1t seems appropriate to
consider the EuonymuS family as
a source Of plant material for the
garden. The Euonymus family
Is a large one comprising many
species of deciduouS and ever
green shrubs and vines. Several
are natives. The common name
for the Euonymus is spindletree,
but most gardeners use the bo-
tanical name.
Thrive in Full Sun.
1t Is the evergreen species that |
are of most interest since they |
will thrive in full sun or light |
shade. Few other broadleaved |
evergreens are so adaptable. |
The trailer, Euonymus radicans, !
Is a good substitute for English !
Ivy to cover masonry walls and
foundations (not stucco). E. .
radicans cling to rough surfaces
by means of stem rootlets and
seems to take winter sun without
suffering the injury common to .
ivy. There are a number OF va
rietieS of E. radicanS, some with
glossier foliage, others with
smaller leaves, and one that has
variegated foliage.
The species most likely to in
terest many gardeners. however,
is E. japonicuS, gloSSy-leaved, |
upright-growing evergreen shrub.
1t is particularly good for an
evergreen hedge in sun light /
shade. While likely to be subject
to winter injury in a too pro-
tected situation, the damaged |
parts can be pruned out and the
shurb will soon regain its normal
appearance. E. japonicus will ,
reach a height Of 10 feet or more
If unpruned. However, most
gardeners keep 1t to height
under 6 or s feet and have an
evergreen hedge that is much su-
perior to the California privet.
The trailer radicans can be
trained into a low hedge, al
though it is seldom as attrac-
tive in appearance as E. japon-
icus.
DeciduOus Varieties.
The species E. alatus, men, .
toned above, is one of the very .
attractive moderate sized deci-
duous shrubs for the border. .
While the bloom is inconspicuous,
the rose-colored foliage in the /
fall and the curious brightly |
colored fruits, and the winged !
twigS more than compensate for
the absence of snowy bloom. The |
winged Euonymus grows to 6 feet
or more in favorable situations. |
There is a dense, rounded form /.
that is lower growing and is suit !
able for hedges, E. alatus COM
pactus. Van Melle in his rating
chart gives these two top ratings
as shrubs for the landscape
planting.
The other deciduous forms,
both native and European, are
seldom planted by a gardener in
this area. The European burn
ing bush. E. Europaeus, is
small tree or large shrub with
leaves up to 3 inches in |
length. The flowers have an un-
pleasant odor but are followed |
with attractive fruit of varying
colors. Some are pink with an
orange inside. One is red and
variety fructo-alba has white !
fruits. The American burning
bush (E. Americanus) is a
smaller growing shrub and is
adapted to partial shade and !
rather m1niSt soils IF iS cOp-