Euonymus fortunei "Coloratus", 3 l pot

• Type: Wintercreeper
• Latin name: Euonymus fortunei
• Cultivar: Coloratus
• Mature height: 0.5–0.7 m
• Pot: 3 L
• Light: sunny or semi-shaded
• Winter hardiness: USDA 5–9 (in Estonia in a sheltered spot)

Planting Plant in spring (late April – May) or autumn (September) in a sunny or partly shaded spot with fertile, well-drained soil; wet spots with standing water are unsuitable. Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot, mix the excavated soil with compost, set the plant at the same depth it grew in the pot and water generously. Space plants 30–50 cm apart.

Watering Water a young plant regularly for the first two years and more often in dry spells; an established shrub is fairly drought-tolerant and needs watering only in long dry periods. Mulch the soil with bark or wood chips.

Pruning Trim in spring to keep the plant dense and compact; remove damaged and overly long shoots, and plain green reverted shoots on variegated cultivars.

Feeding and winter care Feed in spring with compost or an organic fertiliser and, if needed, with a complex fertiliser in spring – early summer; give no nitrogen in autumn. In Estonia plant in a sheltered spot; in winter the evergreen foliage can be scorched by spring sun – cover the plant with spruce boughs in November.