ABC Wednesday - E is for ...


Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald Gaiety’

This is a popular evergreen shrub in many gardens round here as it likes limy soils and is drought tolerant. It’s also tough as old boots, so often forms part of municipal planting schemes. It comes in a wide variety of other forms and colours, such as this ‘Emerald n Gold’. Just because it’s common as muck, doesn’t mean it should be sniffed at. I like to use it as a structural shrub that comes into its own over the winter months, cheering up the garden. It can also be clipped into bold shapes or trained up walls or trellis to give some height.

In the photograph, it looks like the colour of the Pyracantha coccinea (firethorn) berries have ‘bled’ into the leaves of the Euonymus. This isn’t so - many of the varieties with white variegated leaves take on a rosy tint during the winter cold.

The Euonymus family also has deciduous varieties, such as Euonymus planipes, the spindle tree. These are spectacular in the Autumn, with fiery leaf tints and eye-popping red pods that split to reveal bright orange seeds, attractive to the wild bird population.
Check out Mrs Nesbitt's Place for other ABC Wednesday postings.

Comments

  1. mrsnesbitt20 February 2008 at 00:15

    Boody Hell!
    You are a fast moover!
    LL

    ReplyDelete
  2. VP20 February 2008 at 00:17

    Hee hee hee!

    I had the odd half hour to wait before midnight, so did the writing bit in Word first ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Leslie:20 February 2008 at 00:32

    I have a bit of a mucky back garden so I'll have to see if I can get this plant here.

    ReplyDelete
  4. mrsnesbitt20 February 2008 at 00:35

    Please re-vist my blog............all is OK!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous20 February 2008 at 00:47

    You sound like a wonderful gardener! This plant sounds like one that might be hearty enough that I wouldn't kill off quickly...

    ReplyDelete
  6. DeeMom20 February 2008 at 01:03

    Sooooooooooooooooooooooon it will be spring and I can play in the dirt...garden that is

    Great information and I like the plant

    ReplyDelete
  7. dot20 February 2008 at 01:06

    Red berries look great in the garden. I think I still have a few hanging on.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Flassie's Fil'a20 February 2008 at 01:13

    I took a look at the Euonymus
    planipes. Really pretty.

    Have a Blessed Happy Fun
    Creative Healthy Year!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Lana G!20 February 2008 at 02:22

    That is pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Andrea20 February 2008 at 02:35

    Nice red berries. I did not know this was what it was called though. Learn something new every day.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sharon20 February 2008 at 02:53

    That is a very pretty plant! I like reading your blog. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous20 February 2008 at 03:28

    Hmm, the berries really stand out amongst the leaves in your photo!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Neva20 February 2008 at 03:36

    ohh you did a good "E"!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. kate20 February 2008 at 03:39

    I like the look of Euonymus fortunei.The berries are attractive. I smiled when I read your 'tough as old boots' - it made me think of your Brummie post.

    I'm glad Lytton's post was entertaining. That dog keeps me laughing all the time - he's full of beans.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Katney20 February 2008 at 04:04

    An interesting plant.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Silly Goose20 February 2008 at 04:23

    Hey, I have in my garden what I always thought was a Euonymous Gaiety, but yours has redder berries than mine. The berries on mine are more orange, at least they were in the fall when I last checked. Hahaha

    ReplyDelete
  17. Patty20 February 2008 at 04:27

    I love those berries on the bush

    ReplyDelete
  18. Lilli & Nevada20 February 2008 at 04:34

    Great looking plant I wish i had a green thumb

    ReplyDelete
  19. Petunia20 February 2008 at 06:40

    I learn something new every (ABC) Wednesday! Thank you!!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. FO - 220 February 2008 at 07:36

    Very good choise for the E. :)
    I have different sort of Euonymus in my garden. They are decorative.
    Happy ABC! :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. imac20 February 2008 at 08:14

    Hi, very colourful E post and a colourful blog too.

    ReplyDelete
  22. AVCr8teur20 February 2008 at 09:25

    Nice to see something colorful growing during the winter. Those red berries would be a welcome sight during any season.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Gerald (Ackworth born)20 February 2008 at 10:21

    don't think I've seen much of that round here - what we get is bindweed!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Claire20 February 2008 at 10:48

    Was attracted to your blog as I got married in Chippenham quite a long time ago.I haven't been back for years. Like this plant don'tknow whether it grows here.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Liz Hinds20 February 2008 at 11:56

    Very pretty shrub.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Gordon20 February 2008 at 12:18

    A colourful shrub; I now know who to ask for gardening advice! (Not one of my fortes)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Daryl20 February 2008 at 12:48

    I had no idea it had such a nice name, we always call it holly!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Kerri Farley20 February 2008 at 13:22

    A Beautiful plant for E post!
    Nice!!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Janet20 February 2008 at 14:45

    Beautiful photo....and I learned something, too!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Randi20 February 2008 at 16:13

    I don't think we has this plant in Norway, i have never seen it.

    But it looks lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous20 February 2008 at 16:30

    Hi VP. I like the spindle, there's lots of it in the hedges around here and its autumn colour's wonderful. I planted some in my allotment hedge but I've since learnt that it harbours the broad-bean aphid, but but the broad beans will just have to cope. The european spindle is Euonymus europaeus, I think your spindle is Asian.

    Simon

    ReplyDelete
  32. Rune Eide20 February 2008 at 16:43

    A spot of red is always a good thing.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Kim20 February 2008 at 17:39

    Ooh, that's pretty. I like the colors in the leaves. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  34. photowannabe20 February 2008 at 19:06

    Very pretty plant. I like the variety of colors and this is a great choice for the letter E.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Dragonstar20 February 2008 at 21:25

    I thought of Euonymus, but mine's rather bedraggled. We have a fairly acid soil here! Your's looks really healthy.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Nancy21 February 2008 at 00:17

    The evergrreen plant with the red berries is so very pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  37. VP21 February 2008 at 11:20

    Hi everyone - thanks for stopping by and leaving comments. I'll get back to your ABC posts over the next couple of days if I haven't already. A lousy migraine yesterday means I'm now playing Blog catchup!

    Kissa - that's quite a coincidence! I'll be writing more about Chippenham, so you'll see how it's changed and changing!

    Simon - you're right. E. planipes is from Korea/Japan. I tried to get a good link for E europea, but the pictures I found were lousy and it does need a good one to show just how spectacular it gets in the Autumn. Perhaps I'll need to go out on a photo shoot late on in the year...

    ReplyDelete
  38. Paulie21 February 2008 at 16:12

    The red berries are nice but I like the leaves best -- maybe the berries show the leaves off?

    ReplyDelete
  39. Miss Robyn21 February 2008 at 20:18

    it must be spectaclular if it snows!

    ReplyDelete
  40. kml22 February 2008 at 18:17

    The leaves are really pretty on this plant!

    ReplyDelete
  41. VP26 February 2008 at 21:41

    Hi Paulie, Miss*r and KML - glad you liked the picture!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love hearing from you and welcome thoughtful conversations :)

Comments aiming to link back and give credence to commercial websites will be composted!

Your essential reads

That blue flower: A spring spotter's guide

Image
Spring is a prime time for blue flowers and my daily walks currently have several from the same plant family* lining the local footpaths. As I walked past the Donkey Field the other day, I overheard some children ask their parents** what the pictured blue flower was. It reminded me it's often mistaken for those other familial blues and this time was no different, as they said it was forget-me-not, instead of the green alkanet it actually is. As well as similar flowers, most of these plants are hairy in their nature, flower around the same time, and favour damp, shady places. Many of them are great for pollinators too, especially bees and this week's warm weather has certainly drawn them to these flowers. This makes it even more likely for these plants to be mistaken for each other and it's a great opportunity for me to put together a spotter's guide in case you find the same flowers on your outings. Staying with green alkanet, the key features which set it
Read more

Jack Go To Bed At Noon

Image
Last year this rather exotic looking flower appeared on mine and several other allotments for the first time. Having been stumped (again) by Mr Allotment Warden as to its identity, I rushed home to find out what it was. It's salsify, aka the marvellous Jack Go To Bed At Noon - named as such because its flowers always close by midday. Here you can see both open and closed flowers - making it seem even more exotic and alien than in the first picture. I think this must be the cultivated version because the flower in my Francis Rose Wild Flower Key looks exactly the same in form, but is bright yellow in colour and called meadow salsify . Its other common name is Goatsbeard, which must be a nod to the fantastic dandelion-like clock which forms the seed head. With 'parachutes' like those shown above, who knows how far our plotted plants came from. I rather like the photographic dissection of the seedhead found in this link . Salsify is edible: its lateral shoots and fl
Read more

Red Nose Day - Gardening Jokes Anyone?

Image
The nation goes ever so slightly bonkers on Red Nose Day - hurrah! Previously, it's been very easy to join in - usually via a dress down day at work plus lots of people up to mad things at the station and in the office. Everyone smiling for once - it's a real feel good day and all in a good cause. This year's different - every day's a dress down day for me now - my friend L suggested yesterday that perhaps I could have a dress up day instead and whilst that's a good idea, I confess that ballgowns and tiaras don't really feature in my wardrobe: scruffy student's always been my favourite look. So my Red Nose Day contribution for this year is to compile a list of gardening related jokes. For each one (clean ones only please) you leave in the comments below, I'll make a donation of 50p to the cause. Here's a few for starters just to get you warmed up: Q Why do potatoes make good detectives? A Because they keep their eyes peeled. Q What did the grape
Read more

Salad Days: Mastering Lettuce

Image
I've decided one of my salad challenges for this year is to grow as many lettuce varieties as I can, ready for the publication of my planned Factsheet* later on. The idea is to grow as many of the Tried and Trusted lettuce varieties last year's Salad Challengers helped compile, then provide a visual guide and as many lettuce facts as I can muster. So far I've found around half of those listed**. Then naturally whilst I was out searching - because such is the way with seeds - a number of other varieties found their way home too ;) A couple of weeks ago I sowed 22 varieties***. Just the simple act of sowing them has me intrigued. Why are some lettuce seeds black and others white****? They split into about half white to half black in my sample and as far as I can tell it's nothing to do with whether they're a type of cos, iceberg, or whatever. I sowed them indoors and popped them into a propagator on the windowsill. The soil's too cold outside for sowing
Read more

VPs VIPs: Derry Watkins of Special Plants

Image
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Derry Watkins at her home, garden and nursery - the acclaimed Special Plants - just a few miles along the road from me. I first met Derry at one of her open garden days last year and was keen to find out more about her wonderful garden and running an independent nursery. She specialises in tender perennials and regularly goes on plant hunting trips to find new treasures, particularly in South Africa. As well as running Special Plants and opening her garden under the NGS scheme , Derry holds day courses at her nursery, hosts Special Tuesdays from April until September, lectures and has written a couple of books. How did you find your way from Connecticut to the UK? I'd started a biodynamic vegetable garden in Connecticut and we used to have people come along at weekends to help out. A particular young man turned up: he returned many times and at the end of the summer I married him. So it was all down to love? Isn't that the
Read more

#mygardenrightnow: heading into summer with the Chelsea Fringe

Image
Ahhhhhh, that's better! I love walking through dewy grass in bare feet, not that there's much in the way of grass on my back lawn this weekend. My wild and woolly lawn has morphed into meadow of sorts this month, which even NAH admits looks attractive*. It's also proved a great source for my Flowers for mum project so far, yielding self-sown perennial cornflowers, lamb's ears, and lemon balm in addition to the blooms you can see. These originated from elsewhere in the garden, the ox-eye daisies must have blown in from the A350 nearby. * = he got very stroppy about the weeds aka self-sown foxgloves in the lawn one year, so he's come along a bit since then. Skimble's demanding to say hello to you too. He does enjoy the patio when it warms up. If the embedded video doesn't work try this link instead. The Nectaroscordum are a revelation. I planted the bulbs around 2 years ago, but it's only this year they've bloomed properly. The bee
Read more

The Resilient Garden

Image
  Part of Tom Massey's Resilient Garden at RHS Hampton Court I've been pondering VP Gardens a lot lately. Last year's drought conditions set me off initially, then our harsher than usual winter combined with this summer's flip and flop weather means the thinking continues. It's a huge topic which I freely admit I'm struggling to get my head around. Tom Massey's Resilient Garden  at Hampton Court recently  tackled this topic brilliantly and was a timely interlude which gave me much food for thought. There he encapsulated the detailed research he'd found which informed both his show garden and book of the same name. I think it's one of the most important show gardens I've ever seen. It's clear the way I garden needs to change so that I have my own resilient garden. I haven't worked out the exact details yet, but Tom's book plus a couple of others (see below), alongside the rainwater management handout from the show garden's  sponso
Read more

Testing Times: Tomatoes

Image
  I've run a couple of tomato trials this year. The first is a revisit of the biochar trial with Oxford University I attempted some years ago (with a different organisation this time), and the second is a trial of a water gadget called Plantsurge which I was given to try at Malvern Spring Show earlier this year. Most of you have probably heard of biochar already and the claim that this inert, carbon-rich material can help soil fertility and plant health. The RHS information in the above link says results can be mixed, with reduced effects found in alkaline soils. This may help to explain the lack of difference I found in my previous trial as VP Gardens is on a lime-rich soil. Plantsurge is a different beast altogether. It's a strong magnet which is attached to a hosepipe as shown in the photo above. It's claimed that it softens water, with the result more like watering with rainwater. The higher nitrogen found in rainwater is thought to be beneficial to plants. Gardener
Read more

Chelsea Fringe 2014: Shows of Hands - Episode I

Image
The gloves NAH used to build the raised bed . The effects are L to R, top to bottom:  Original photo, Warhol, HDR, Green tint, B&W, Posterize, Boost, Cross process and Sepia Welcome to Shows of Hands - my Chelsea Fringe project for 2014! As you can see I've been having a bit of a play around in Pic Monkey for my first contribution. You're welcome to join in between now and 8th June 2014. The idea behind this year's project is to highlight the tool most precious to a gardener: their hands. How do I take part? It's simple. All you need to do is take a photo of hand(s) in a gardening context and then share it via your blog or other social media (such as Twitter or Facebook), then make sure I know you've done so. I've set up Mr Linky below for your blog contributions. The Chelsea Fringe photo on the right sidebar links to this post, so you can easily find it again when you're ready to add your contribution. If you share your photo on Twitter,
Read more

Make Use of Mildew

Image
On my garden patrol this morning I spotted some powdery mildew on a couple of my new Verbena bonariensis plants. I suppose it was almost inevitable as I prefer to grow my plants hard - this means no water for them unless they look absolutely desperate. This approach means plants root themselves more deeply and have a better chance of survival during spells of dry weather like we've had lately. However, it also means I run the risk of problems like today's, especially with any garden newbies planted late in the season. We've had a good drop of rain overnight, so this should help my plants survive. I'll mulch them later today to help lock in the moisture as it's water stress which encourages the mildew to take hold. I've also removed the infected leaves and sprayed the rest with a milky drink.* I'm also pleased to find there's a use for my infected leaves. Oliver Ellingham at Reading University has started a PhD - sponsored by the RHS - researchi
Read more