Burning Bush or Wahoo
Euonymus atropurpurea (CELASTRACEAE)
Planting and Growing Burning Bush
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow burning bush or wahoo in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Flowers, foliage, fruit, and seeds of burning bush or wahoo
- Growing conditions for burning bush or wahoo
- When and where to plant burning bush or wahoo
- How to plant burning bush or wahoo
- How to shape, prune and control growth of burning bush or wahoo
- Watering, fertilizing, and care of burning bush or wahoo
- Landscape uses of burning bush or wahoo
- Pest and disease control for burning bush or wahoo
Growing Burning Bush
Several cultivars of medium- to slow-growing, mounding, dense, deciduous small trees, to 25 ft. (7.5 m) tall, with shiny, bronze to green or variegated, broad, lance-shaped, pointed, toothed leaves, to 5 in. (13 cm) long, emerging red in spring, turning green, and becoming red in autumn.
Burning Bush Planting and Care Guide
Flowers and Fruit
Inconspicuous, fragrant, pink flowers in spring form red, caplike, woody fruit bearing seed in autumn.
Best Climates
U.S.D.A. Plant Hardiness Zones 3–10; ground hardy, zones 4–9.
Soil Type and Fertility
Damp to dry, well-drained soil. Fertility: Average. 6.0–8.0 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Full sun. Space 10–12 ft. (3–3.7 m) apart.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep damp; allow soil surface to dry between waterings until established. Drought tolerant. Fertilize quarterly spring–autumn. Mulch, zones 3, 10. Prune sparingly after bloom. Protect from sun in hot climates. Propagate by cuttings, layering, seed.
About This Species
Good choice for accents, borders, groups in formal, small-space, woodland gardens. Seed attracts birds. Scale and mildew susceptible.
Warning:
Foliage of Euonymus atropurpurea may cause digestive upset if eaten. Avoid planting in gardens frequented by pets or children.