Japanese Spindle Bush

Japanese Spindle Bush 'Green Rocket' (Euonymus japonicus 'Green Rocket') is the hedge for a boundary you cannot give any width to. It grows upright to about 2.5m tall but only 1m wide, holding glossy dark green leaves from base to tip, and it clips as cleanly as box. Slow growth is the trade off: it keeps its shape between trims rather than filling a gap quickly.

Why you'll love it

• Upright by nature. At roughly 2.5m by 1m it screens a fence line in a bed that is only a shovel wide.
• It takes a sharp edge. Small, dense, glossy leaves mean a clipped face reads crisp rather than ragged, which is why it suits formal work.
• Very little trimming. Slow growth keeps a hedge looking deliberate on one or two cuts a year.
• Exposure does not bother it. Frost hardy, wind tolerant, salt tolerant, drought tolerant and content in poor soil. Evergreen, so the screen works in July as it does in January.

Where it works best

Narrow hedging and screening. Plant 50cm apart for a dense narrow hedge. At that spacing the plants knit into a continuous face within two to three seasons without pushing into the path beside them.

Topiary and shaped work. The fine leaf and tight habit suit clipped columns, cones and a matched pair at an entry.

Pots and low borders. A pot 400mm or wider holds a clipped column at around 1.5m, and plants kept at 60cm to 80cm make a low formal border.

Growing Japanese spindle bush in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest growth, though it accepts part shade with a looser habit. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens and is frost hardy once established. Humid tropical gardens invite leaf spotting.

Soil. Undemanding, provided the ground drains. Poor and sandy soils are fine. On heavy clay, raise the bed and work compost through it, then mulch 75mm deep clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer, then weekly in dry spells. A complete slow release fertiliser in early spring keeps the leaf glossy, and a light feed after the first trim helps a young hedge thicken.

Pruning. Trim in late spring and again in late summer. Start clipping while plants are young to build density low down, because a neglected plant is slow to furnish a bare base.

What to expect when it arrives

It comes in three sizes: tube, 140mm in packs of ten and 200mm in packs of six. Tube stock is the economical choice for a long boundary and is how most hedges of this plant are started. The 140mm and 200mm plants are bushier and shorten the wait over a short run.

Plants travel upright and arrive with foliage intact. Growth is genuinely slow, so allow three seasons for a tube planted hedge to close at 50cm spacing. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to plant a hedge and keep it looking sharp
• Compare options in the hedging and screening range.
• Browse plants suited to topiary and shaping.
• See other tall and narrow screening plants.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

Fifty centimetres apart in a single row. Because the mature width is only about 1m, closer spacing wastes plants and makes watering harder.

How quickly will it form a hedge?

Slowly, and that is the honest answer. Allow two to three seasons from 140mm or 200mm stock and about three from tubes. If you need a screen this year, a faster hedge is the better buy.

Is it safe around children and pets?

No. The foliage and fruit of Euonymus are toxic if eaten, so avoid it where small children or pets graze on plants, and wash your hands after clipping.

Can I keep it lower than 2.5m?

Easily. Two trims a year hold it anywhere from 60cm upwards, and it stays furnished at the base as long as you start clipping early.