Winter Creeper, Wintercreeper Euonymus
Euonymus fortunei
Family: Celastraceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Green, White. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Late summer, Mid summer. Form: Prostrate, Spreading or horizontal, Variable spread.
Euonymus fortunei is an evergreen Climber growing to 4.5 m (14ft) by 10 m (32ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5. It is in leaf all year, in flower in July. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.
Height (m): 4.5
Where it is found
Woods and thickets in low mountains all over Japan.
E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 1
Plants contain the anticancer compound dulcitol. The plant is used in gynaecological applications.
Cancer: Used in the treatment of cancer.
Women's complaints: A very vague title, it deals with a miscellany of problems peculiar to the female sex.
Other
Rating: 3
A good evergreen ground cover plant. The sub species E. fortunei radicans and E. fortunei carrieri are particularly useful, other forms to use include 'Emerald and Gold', 'Emerald Gaiety', 'Coloratus', 'Dart's Carpet' and 'Kewensis. Plants can be grown as a low hedge, the varieties 'Emerald and Gold' and 'Variegatus' are normally used. They are very tolerant of clipping.
Hedge: Plants that can be grown as hedges.
Ground cover: Ground Cover
Hedge: Hedge
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Container, Erosion control, Ground cover, Massing. Thrives in almost any soil, including chalk, and is particularly suited to dry shaded areas. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a well-drained loamy soil. Thrives in sunny positions and in deep shade, though it does not fruit so well in the shade. Plants are hardy to about -18°c. A shrubby somewhat creeping plant that can also climb by means of aerial roots, if placed by a support, a wall, tree or fence, the plant will start to climb it and will be self-attaching to a large degree. Plants do not normally require pruning. Plants have two forms of growth, a juvenile form and a mature form when the plants come into flower. Plants in Britain often retain the juvenile form and never flower. A polymorphic species, there are a number of named varieties selected for their ornamental value. Special Features:Not North American native, Invasive, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 8 - 12 weeks warm followed by 8 - 16 weeks cold stratification and can then be sown in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm long taken at a node or with a heel, July/August in a frame. Very easy.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; not Deep Shade; Ground Cover; Hedge; North Wall. By. East Wall. By. South Wall. By. West Wall. By.
Habit: Climber
Hardiness: 5-9
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Full shade, semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Dry, moist
Things to keep in mind
Although no records of toxicity have been seen for this species, a number of plants in this genus are suspected of being poisonous and so some caution is advised.
Its other names
Local names
Synonyms
E. radicans.