Golden Japanese euonymus
Euonymus japonicus 'Aureomarginatus' · Celastraceae
A dense, upright evergreen with glossy, leathery, dark green leaves broadly edged in golden yellow.
- Size
- 6 ft tall, 4 ft wide
- Zones
- 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers early June to late June
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around golden Japanese euonymus
The planner designed this bed around golden Japanese euonymus when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why golden Japanese euonymus stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Golden Japanese euonymus × 1, variegated leaves
- 2 Striped bloody cranesbill × 8, pink
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 21, yellow
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 5 Rose turtlehead × 3, pink
- 6 White wood aster × 3, white
- 7 Spring starflower × 12, blue
- 8 Sicilian honey garlic × 3, cream
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 6 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to rose turtlehead (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 13 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 7 groups (71%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Neither end outweighs the other: the visual weight is split 47 to 53, left to right. The flowering is at its height in late August, with 4 kinds out together.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where golden Japanese euonymus goes in a border
At 6 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is very tall (5 to 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
It takes salt wind, clipping and poor soil, which is why it lines seaside promenades. A bright, formal evergreen for a hedge or tub. Watch for scale insects.
- Seaside hedges
- Clipped shapes and tubs
- Year-round colour
What to plant with golden Japanese euonymus
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Rosemary: adds the flowers, early March to early May.
- Lilyturf: adds the flowers, early August to mid September; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
- Glossy abelia: adds the flowers, mid June to early October.
Questions about golden Japanese euonymus
Does golden Japanese euonymus need sun or shade?
Golden Japanese euonymus grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does golden Japanese euonymus grow in?
USDA zones 6 to 9. It is hardy to zone 6, which means it survives winter nights down to about 0 °F (−18 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should golden Japanese euonymus be planted?
3 ft (90 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 4 ft (120 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6 ft (180 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many golden Japanese euonymus plants do I need?
At 3 ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 4 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, planted singly: it is the bed's structure, and everything else is arranged around it.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is golden Japanese euonymus poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: moderate toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts, especially the berries, are poisonous if eaten.
Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like golden Japanese euonymus?
These come closest to doing what golden Japanese euonymus does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Alpine currant: the same job in a bed; 12 in shorter, 4 in wider.
- Box honeysuckle 'Baggesen's Gold': the same job in a bed; 24 in shorter, 4 in wider.
- Red twig dogwood 'Arctic Fire': the same job in a bed; 24 in shorter, 4 in wider.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat golden Japanese euonymus?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What does golden Japanese euonymus look like in winter?
Golden Japanese euonymus keeps its variegated and dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Euonymus
- Burning bush Euonymus alatus
- Wintercreeper Euonymus fortunei
- Wintercreeper 'Emerald 'n' Gold' Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald 'n' Gold'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 6 ft (180 cm) tall, 4 ft (120 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3 ft (90 cm) apart
- Height class
- Very tall (5 to 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early June to late June; dense clusters; green, white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; variegated, dark green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Celastraceae
- Comes from
- Korea, Japan to Nansei-shoto
- Stands up to
- Drought, salt, black walnut
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.