Winter Creeper Bushes
Winter creeper bushes (Euonymus fortunei) are also known as the Chinese spindle-tree and climbing euonymus. These bushes can sprawl over the ground but climb supports using aerial rootlets when trained to grow upright. When planted in ideal conditions as a climbing vine, these shrubs reach more than 50 feet tall. When grown as a ground cover, each bush forms a tangle of branches 2 feet tall.
Winter creeper covers its branches in evergreen oval leaves reaching 1 to 2 inches long. Many varieties have silver veins in the leaves. Tiny purple flowers hide among the leaves in the late spring. After the flowers fade, showy pale orange fruits appear, attracting songbirds to the shrub. These 1/3-inch-wide fruits persist into winter, providing an ornamental feature to the bushes.
Winter creeper shrubs originated in China, Korea and Japan and grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. These evergreens tolerate winter temperatures down to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter creepers grow well in full sun to deep shade. When planting the bushes, choose the appropriate light exposure depending on your area's climate. In hot climates, plant the shrub in partial shade locations. Full sun exposure is best in cooler climates.
Winter creeper shrubs are not drought tolerant and need regular water during the growing season. Provide the shrubs with an inch of water each week that it does not rain. Do not keep the soil soggy, which it encourages root rot in these shrubs. Shear these plants in the early spring while still dormant. Shearing controls the shape and size of the branches while stimulating new growth for the year.
Winter creeper plants work well as ground covers, protecting slopes from the effects of soil erosion. They also tolerate coastal growing conditions, handling the wind and salt exposure well. Winter creepers are commonly trained up trellises, fences or bare walls. They can be trained to produce low hedges, blocking unwanted views like building foundations and low-laying utilities.
Winter creepers grow in many sizes and colors. One variety that brings unusual color to the yard in the winter is purple winter creeper (Euonymus fortunei “Colorata”). This sprawling shrub reaches 12 inches tall with green leaves that turn purple during its dormant season. “Emerald Gaiety” winter creeper (Euonymus fortunei “Emerald Gaiety”) is a variegated shrub growing green leaves with creamy white edges. This plant reaches 4 feet tall and spreads 6 feet wide when left untrimmed. Shearing this variety back in the spring controls its strong growth.
Karen Carter spent three years as a technology specialist in the public school system and her writing has appeared in the "Willapa Harbor Herald" and the "Rogue College Byline." She has an Associate of Arts from Rogue Community College with a certificate in computer information systems.