General description: Emerald Gold (Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald Gold’) is a climbing, creeping variety of wintercreeper. Its stems tend to creep, and when planted against a support they start to climb, reaching heights of 2 m. It’s an excellent ground cover plant recommended for use in home gardens, residential areas, for covering tree trunks and stones. It’s also suitable for container cultivation. Emerald Gold belongs to the Celastraceae family.

Leaves: Emerald Gold has small leaves (2-4 cm long), elliptical, dark green surrounded by a thick, golden, irregular margin. The shrubs turn purplish pink in autumn and maintain this colour throughout the winter.

Cultivation requirements: It does not have high care requirements. However, it will grow better in sunny locations than in those with more shade. The soil should be fertile, sufficiently moist, with a pH ranging from weakly acidic to neutral.

Care: This shrub tolerates pruning very well, its growth can be freely regulated, but any necessary cuts should be made only in May.

Overwintering: Emerald Gold is frost hardy (hardiness zones 6a-9). However, for winter it’s best to cover the shrub with spruce branches, bark or other material. It overwinters well, especially if it creeps on the ground and is completely covered with snow. When it climbs, it may happen that the parts that protrude above the snow freeze in severe winters. Fortunately, it bounces back very well and will return to its original size within in a few years. The wintercreeper tolerates urban conditions well.

Origin: China.