Euonymus japonicus Duc d'Anjou

The Euonymus japonicus Duc d'Anjou is a variety of Japanese Spindle that has many advantages. Resistant to cold, with a moderate, well-dense growth, rather erect, this bush displays an elegant evergreen foliage, shiny, irregularly variegated with light green and yellow, decorative all year round. There are plenty of reasons to adopt it in a free or trimmed hedge, in the background of flower beds or in a container on the terrace, including in coastal areas, small city gardens or rather cold regions!

The Duc d'Anjou Japanese Spindle belongs to the Celastraceae family. Its ancestor is originally from Japan, as its name suggests. But it is also found in China and Korea. In nature, this large bush grows on slopes, in open areas on the edge of forests, up to the seaside where it can become a tree up to 8m (26 ft 2 in) tall. Its hardiness is around -12°C (10.4 °F), and its growth is quite slow.

The 'Duc d'Anjou' cultivar, with a more compact growth, is also distinguished by better cold resistance and leaves with a center more or less irregularly margined with darker green. In our gardens, it will reach an average height of 2m (6 ft 7 in) with a spread of 1.50m, perhaps more if not regularly pruned. Its habit is naturally dense and bushy, rather upright. Well-branched from the base, its upright branches bear dense foliage, composed of shiny, tough and rigid leaves. They are ovate in shape, 3 to 7cm (1.2 to 2.8 in) long, finely toothed at the edges. The flowering, quite discreet, takes place in May-June, at the tips of young shoots. Tiny flowers with 4 greenish-white petals are clustered together. They are pollinated by insects and are followed by the formation of small green fruits that turn pink and orange in autumn, hanging under the branches.

The Duc d'Anjou Japanese Spindle is valuable for creating medium-sized persistent hedges, either free or occasionally pruned. It can also be used in shrub beds, playing on contrasts with bronze fennels, purple barberries, or even bush roses or ground cover roses. It blends well with other shrubs with dark foliage such as small conifers, boxwood, and yew. In the background of flower beds, its variegated foliage enhances all flowerings and works wonders in partially shaded areas of the garden. Well adapted to coastal areas and city gardens, the Japanese Spindle can be used to create hedges along paths or to surround a rose bed, for example. It adapts well to container gardening, allowing for elegant and bright green screens on a terrace or balcony.