Growing the Fire Ball® Burning Bush

Size and Appearance

The Fire Ball Burning Bush is a hardy deciduous shrub that grows into a multi-stemmed plant with a dense, rounded form made up of many stems and branches. It will grow to a height and width of between 5 and 7 feet, which is significantly smaller than most other forms of this plant. These older varieties can become too large and need lots of trimming. The stems are attractive in winter, with a unique form. Along the sides of the younger branches are ‘wings’ – long narrow ridges of bark that give the stems a square look and an attractive visual appeal. The leaves are around 2 inches long, oval, with very fine serrations along the edges. They tend to curl into a soft arc, adding to the neat, compact form of this plant. They are rich green in spring and summer, giving a cool effect in your garden.

Then, in fall, the party begins. This specially-selected variety puts on an amazing fall performance, turning quite literally into a glowing fire-ball of bright red you will absolutely love. This display lasts for several weeks, before the leaves fall, revealing the interesting twig pattern and stem structure for the winter months. Older bushes may produce small greenish flowers, about ¼ inch across, which turn into a greenish-purple 4-chamber seed pod containing red seeds. The flowers and seed-pods are not conspicuous, and this variety does not produce very many flowers or seeds.

Using the Fire Ball® Burning Bush in Your Garden

This easy-care shrub is perfect for background planting in your shrub beds, where it will be attractive at a time when most other plants are finished for the season. Use it to fill corners around your home as part of the foundation planting, or standing out on a lawn, alone, or in a well-spaced group of 3 or 5 on a large lawn. Plant it for screening in a row, or as a hedge, spacing plants 4 feet apart. It can be trimmed at any time, but it is neat enough to make a good screen without trimming. Grow it along the edges of a stream or by a pond. Whenever you need a space filled – this is the simple and yet attractive choice to make.

Hardiness

Some forms of the burning bush are damaged in colder zones, leaving dead branches that must then be removed, and spoiling the form of the plant. The Fire Ball Burning Bush has been developed with hardiness in mind, so it doesn’t suffer from any winter-kill, even in zone 4. It is entirely reliable in the midwest, yet it also grows well almost anywhere, all the way into zone 8.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Although this shrub will grow in partial shade, we recommend you plant it in full sun, as this will give the best fall color, which is the main feature of the Fire Ball Burning Bush. In shadier spots the leaves will stay green into fall, sometimes turning pink, or sometimes dropping before they color at all. This plant will grow easily and vigorously in just about any kind of soil except for very wet ones. Poor soil, clay, gravels, urban soil and construction waste – this is a plant that can cope with just about anything. It will also grow near a black walnut tree, which is known for making it impossible for many plants to grow. Often the fall color will be best in drier conditions, but some watering during hot, dry periods is valuable, especially until it becomes well established.

Maintenance and Pruning

The Fire Ball Burning Bush normally has no pests or diseases. It can be trimmed at any time, if you wish. Some shortening of the branches when the plant is young will help develop a denser form, but this variety is naturally dense and rounded, and only needs trimming if you want a formal look, or a tight, neat hedge.

History and Origin of the Fire Ball® Burning Bush

The burning bush, Euonymus alatus, grows wild in forests and woodlands all through China, Korea, eastern Russia, and on the islands of Japan. It can grow to 15 feet tall, or even a little more, forming a small tree. Along with many other Asian trees and shrubs it was introduced after trade began between the US, China and Japan. It first appeared in America around 1860, and it became very popular for its fall color and toughness. At some point a more compact form was found, which is called ‘Compactus’, growing to about 10 feet. However, this plant is not as cold-resistant as many other forms, and often suffers winter damage in cold zones. So further selection of seedlings grown from seed from ‘Compactus’ was done, until a very hardy, smaller plant with outstanding fall color was found. It became known as ‘Select’, and this is the plant trademarked as Fire Ball®.

Buying the Fire Ball® Burning Bush at The Tree Center

We love the amazing color of this tree, and its super-easy growing. Every garden has a place for the Fire Ball Burning Bush, and this superior form is always in high demand. Order now, because we cannot guarantee to have these plants in stock for long.

Invasive Plant Info

Although Burning Bush is quite popular throughout the US, it is found to be invasive in a number of states including our home state of MD. Although it can be bought and planted it should be planted with caution. it is listed as a tier-2 invasive plant in Maryland.

The Silver Queen Euonymus is a spreading evergreen shrub that will grow as much as 10 feet tall and wide, although it is easily trimmed to a smaller size. In milder zones it can be grown upwards, on a wall or fence, where it may even exceed 10 feet in time. In cooler zones, and more usually, it grows across the ground as a low spreading evergreen, a foot or two high, but reaching out widely to cover large areas even with a single plant, while staying low and dense, covering the soil and blocking out weeds. The small, rounded leaves are glossy and thick, and they are tightly packed along the stems. They are a rich, bright green, with a bold, slightly irregular edging of almost pure white for most of the year. In spring the leaves of the new growth are edged in warm yellow to cream, making a bright show and gradually turning pure white as they mature. Insignificant creamy flowers may sometimes appear on the stems, but these are rare and of no consequence – it is the beautiful leaves we are here for. 

Growing Silver Queen Euonymus Shrubs

The Silver Queen Euonymus is the perfect plant for covering large areas – either vertically or horizontally – and it is a great way to brighten up darker parts of the garden, as it is just as much at home in shade as it is in sun. Use it as ground cover below large trees, where grass won’t grow. Fill the front of your beds with it to finish them. Its brightness lifts and emphasizes the rich greens of the larger shrubs in those beds, while never clashing with their foliage or flower colors, whatever they are. Since it is drought resistant, it can be grown in dry shade or full sun, although in warmer zones some afternoon shade is beneficial to reduce the risk of the leaves scorching. It can also be planted at the foot of both building walls and garden retaining walls, where it will grow upwards, spreading outwards as well, and covering a large area. If you have plain, boring concrete walls, the Silver Queen Euonymus will turn them into something beautiful. It can also be spread out on a trellis or allowed to grow through a chain-link fence, to beautify it and give privacy too.

This is one of the hardiest euonymus plants, growing well in zone 5, where other types will not. It will even grow in zone 4 as a ground cover, if there is good snow coverage during the coldest months, to protect it. Of course, the Silver Queen Euonymus also grows well in warmer zones, right into zone 9, so pretty much wherever you live, this plant is a great choice. It grows well in just about any kind of soil at all, even in tough clay and poor soil. It will not grow in spots that are constantly wet, but once established it has good resistance to drought, and it will grow well in drier parts, especially in some shade. As for sunlight, this versatile plant grows perfectly in full sun, partial shade and in full shade beneath larger trees. Only the deep, permanent shade beneath dense evergreens with low spreading branches is too dark for it. It rarely suffers from any serious pests or diseases, and it can be easily trimmed at almost anytime to control its spread, and to create a neat, flat surface less than 12 inches high. In colder zones trimming is best done between spring and early fall. Remove any plain green stems completely if they are seen.

History and Origins of Silver Queen Euonymus Shrubs

The Silver Queen Euonymus is a selected form of the Wintercreeper, Euonymus fortunei. This plant grows on the forest floor in Japan and China. It is named after the plant collector Robert Fortune, who brought many new plants out of China and Japan. The wintercreeper was introduced into Europe by Fortune in the 1860s. This plant is unusual because when young, and growing in the shade of the forest floor, it is a creeping plant with widely-spaced leaves. When it climbs up tree trunk into more light it becomes bushy, with closely-packed leaves, and it flowers and fruits. The adult form is much like an old French variety called ‘Carrièrei’, and it was on that plant, named after the French botanist Carrière, that a unique variegated branch occurred in France in the early 20th century. It was first listed in 1914 by nurseries, with the name ‘Silver Queen’. In 1977 this plant was given an Award of Garden Merit by the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society in the UK. that stamp of approval only goes to the very best plants.

Our plants of the Silver Queen Euonymus are produced from stem pieces, to carefully preserve this variety’s essential character, and this tough and reliable combination ground cover and climber is always in great demand. Order now, as our limited stock will soon be gone.

Growing Silver King Euonymus

The Silver King Euonymus grows steadily into a pyramidal, upright shrub, reaching about 6 feet tall, with a spread of around 3 feet. It can easily be maintained as a smaller plant with trimming at almost time of year, but it is naturally dense, and trimming is optional. This plant doesn’t have boring plain green leaves – instead the foliage is brightly colored in green, cream, and silvery white. The smooth, glossy leaves are rounded ovals, 2 to 3 inches long, with an irregular rich green center, and a broad silvery white margin. New leaves have a creamy tone to the edge, but this quickly matures into a crisp white that is bright and highly visible even in full shade. In June small, inconspicuous, creamy-white flowers appear in clusters where the leaves meet the stems, and these attract insects, supporting local populations of pollinators and butterflies. These can develop into small orange seed capsules, about one-third of an inch across, visible in fall and early winter. Plants that are regularly trimmed will rarely flower.

Every garden has shady areas, and for those difficult spots under large trees, the Silver King Euonymus is very hard to beat. It is perfect for height in both shady and sunny beds, and it grows well up against walls, where the branches can be spread out on a trellis to create a wider form. Use the Silver King Euonymus to create a colorful, evergreen hedge up to 5 or 6 feet tall. Plant 2 feet apart, and trim regularly, keeping the base wider than the top, so that your hedge stayed dense and full right to the ground. It is also perfect for planters, giving height and color all on its own, or surrounded by flowers or trailing shrubs. It has amazing resistance to salt spray, and with its drought tolerance it is perfect for planting near or at the beach. Wherever you have bare places to fill, this bright plant should be your first choice. 

The Silver King Euonymus is hardy from zone 6 all the way into zone 9. It grows in full sun, partial shade, and in the lighter full shade beneath large deciduous trees or on the north side of a building, wall or fence. It grows literally in any kind of soil, from sand to clay, and rich to poor, provided it is not constantly wet. With such versatility, there is hardly a spot in any garden where it will not grow well, except for wet areas and in the deep shade beneath low, spreading evergreen trees. Once established it is very drought tolerant. In summer the soil beneath trees becomes very dry, but that doesn’t bother the Silver King Euonymus at all. In the hottest zones some afternoon shade can be beneficial in very dry conditions. This plant is rarely bothered by pests or diseases, and it needs no special care at all. Trimming can take place at any time, but in zone 6 and 7 it is best to avoid trimming in late fall and winter. Trimming with pruners will give the best effect for specimen plants, preventing cut leaf edges. Trim back to just above a leaf or side branch – don’t leave stumps and bare stems. If any plain green branches should appear, remove them completely, as they will in time develop more vigorously than the white-leaf branches, and become more and more dominant.

History and Origins of Silver King Euonymus

The Silver King Euonymus is a selected form of the Japanese euonymus, Euonymus japonicus. That plant grows wild in woods in Japan, Korea and China, where it can grow into a small tree over 20 feet tall. A substitute for rubber called ‘gutta-percha’ can be produced from the sap released when the roots are cut. Many forms of this tree are grown in gardens, and most of them have leaves with different patterns of variegation in white or yellow. The variety called ‘Silver King’ is one of the very best, with crisp silvery leaf edges, and a bright appearance. With its upright form it is ideal as a stand-alone specimen or hedge. If you are looking for a similar plant that is low, broad and spreading, for dry and shady locations, consider the ‘Silver Queen’ Euonymus, which belongs to a different species with a spreading habit, but with similar silver-white leaf edges. It is also cold-resistant and grows well in colder zones.

Our plants are carefully grown from selected stem pieces, to preserve the unique coloring and leaf patterning of this exceptional variety. It cannot be grown from seed, and it shouldn’t be confused with the ordinary plain-green form of this bush. The demand for tough shade tolerant plant is always high – every garden has places like that – so our stock will not last long. Order now and bring color to those shady spots with an easy-to-grow evergreen bush, the Silver King Euonymus.

Dwarf Burning Bush forms a broad, rounded shrub 6 to 10 feet tall, and the same across, although it can easily be trimmed to a much smaller size. It has dense, upright branches with small, smooth leaves 2 or 3 inches long. These are rich green from spring to fall, making an attractive backdrop in the garden. When the cooler nights arrive, they turn extraordinary shades of bright red, giving the plant its common name, and really looking like it is on fire. It is an extremely hardy plant, surviving cold and drought, and thriving in almost any garden soil type except wet ones. It has no significant pests or diseases, and it is on every list of deer resistant shrubs and trees. It is also very hardy, surviving temperatures down to minus 30 without any problems.

Growing Dwarf Compact Burning Bushes

If you want a garden that is easy to care for, or if you have a larger garden but only limited time available for it, then it is important to create a backbone of plants that need little or no attention to perform well. Dwarf Burning Bush is just the plant you need for that. It truly is a ‘plant and forget’ choice, that after a little water to become established will grow happily with no input from you, yet always look attractive.

Uses on Your Property

Use it as part of the background planting in your garden. Tuck it into the sunny angle between two walls of your house. Use it as an informal low screen or hedge to separate one part of the garden from another, or your garden from a neighbor’s. It needs no trimming to stay neat and tidy, but it can also be trimmed into a perfect, dense hedge with just a couple of cuts a year. The hedge can be as low as 3 feet, or as tall as 8 feet, and since this plant is fast growing, you won’t have long to wait even for the taller hedge or screen.

Soil Conditions and Sun Exposure

Plant your Dwarf Burning Bush in any garden soil that does not stay constantly wet. From sand to clay, this is a plant that will thrive anywhere. Choose a sunny spot for the best fall colors, although the plant itself will grow well in partial shade too. When grown in shade the leaves will turn attractive shades of pink, rather than scarlet-red.

Using as a Hedge or Screen

If you want a hedge or screen, space the plants 3 or 4 feet apart in a row. A light trimming in early spring, before the new leaves appear, will make for a very dense screen, but even if you never trim at all the plants will be dense and sturdy. For a super-neat hedge, a second trimming in summer is all you need. Always trim the sides of a hedge so that they slop inwards slightly. This will allow plenty of light to the lower branches, and keep your hedge dense right to the ground.

Care and Maintenance

The Dwarf Burning Bush is drought resistant once it is established in your garden. It has no significant pests or diseases and it is usually not eaten by deer. This really is a low-maintenance plant that can be used in many different parts of your garden to good effect. It will create the background, so that you can put the time you have into spring and summer plants that may take a little more care – or just use the time you save for something else entirely. This is the perfect garden shrub for non-gardeners.

History and Origins of the Burning Bush

The Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) or “Winged Euonymus” is a native tree from China and Japan that has been grown in gardens for a very long time. Although attractive, it can become large and very broad, needing a lot of pruning to fit into a smaller garden. So sometime around 1926, J.W. Adams, from Springfield, Massachusetts, introduced a smaller form and this plant, called ‘Compactus’ because of its small size, has become much more widely grown in North America than the original tree.

The Compactus variety can easily be trimmed to below 4 feet tall, and even untrimmed it will never grow much above 8 feet tall. It has the same spectacular coloring as its parent, and since it rarely flowers or produces seed, it does not escape into the surrounding countryside. Cheaper seedling trees can spread and become weeds, so it always pays to get this better, more compact form for your garden.

Invasive Plant Info

Although Burning Bush is quite popular throughout the US, it is found to be invasive species in a number of states including our home state of MD. Although it can be bought and planted it should be planted with caution. it is listed as a tier-2 invasive plant in Maryland.

The Green Spire is a cultivar of the species Euonymus japonicas, and is a very popular ornamental plant in its native lands – China, Japan and Korea. Discovered in 1979 on the Oki Islands by Dr. John Creech, Dr. Fred Meyer, and Sylvester March, samples were then collected and transported back to the U.S. National Arboretum where they were replanted. In 1982 it was named the Euonymus japonicas Bekomasaki and in 1991 it was given its modern cultivar name of Green Spire.

Growing Green Spire Euonymus

In excellent conditions the Green Spire shrub can reach up to eight feet in height, but it stays compacted to no more than three feet in width. It is multi-branched, with the branches first forming close to the ground and growing upright. As the shrub grows the tall branches do tend to sway outwards, giving it a bushier appearance. Its branches are tightly packed with small oblong green leaves and, because it is an evergreen shrub, you can enjoy its beauty all year round.

It has small, white and inconspicuous flowers that bloom in mid-June. These features are heavily sought after in a shrub for use as a hedge, privacy fence or space filler where no other plant seems to fit. When used as a hedge multiple examples of the Green Spire can be used to create a dense and nearly impenetrable border. It can be pruned to your desired height without causing damage to the plant. If you decide to use it as a privacy hedge, plant them close together being mindful of their narrow width and you will soon have a tall wall of greenery that can block out unsightly roads, buildings or alleyways.

Hardiness

The best areas to plant this species is anywhere in USDA plant hardiness zones 6 to 9. Colder states where winters are harsh and temperatures are regularly below zero degrees in the winter are best avoided, as the Green Spire can be irreparably damaged. It much prefers the hotter climates found in southern states like Texas and Florida. If you are in a seaside location, you will be pleased to know that the Green Spire is tolerant of the winds off the ocean which often contain abrasive salts and sand. In hotter areas you will need to ensure that the shrub receives regular and adequate water; it will need, at the very least, weekly watering. This should be increased during long spells without rainfall.

Planting Location

Even though these shrubs are thirsty for water, they will need to be planted in an area that has good drainage to avoid root rot. This variety is easily transplanted and does not suffer shock like many other plants. It is also extremely adaptable to many soil types including clay, or soils that are highly acidic. Green Spire can thrive in either full sun or heavy shade making it easy to choose the perfect spot for it in your garden design.

Pests and Diseases

The Green Spire is susceptible to a pest called euonymus scale, which can be very damaging and will often leave your shrub with bare spots once you have pruned out the worst of the affected branches. If you keep an eye on your plants during regular care you can stop an infestation before it gets too serious. The insect seems to focus on shrubs that are experiencing extreme levels of stress, so keep your plant happy in order to keep it healthy! Apart from this Green Spire requires very little other care aside from pruning to meet your preferred appearance for the plant. Otherwise, letting it grow naturally is acceptable too.

Adding Green Spire Shrubs to Your Property

This shrub is one that you will not want to exclude during your search for the perfect plant. Its versatility alone is more than enough to make it an attractive addition, but because it offers so much more than just hardiness, it should be at the top of your list. Using it as a singular focal point will draw just as much attention as it would in a foundation planting, or in use as a hedge. You’ll not want to overlook this remarkable and eye-catching specimen.

Every garden should come alive with color in the fall. If you could get the most spectacular fall color imaginable from a tough, problem-free shrub or small tree that can be easily pruned into a hedge, that will grow in any soil and tolerate bitter cold and drought too, wouldn’t you want that plant? Well, Burning Bush will do it. This is one of the toughest shrubs around; it is hardy not just in all the northern states, but right up in to Canada too. Yet it will grow happily in hot states as well. It has no pests or diseases, grows fast and is easily pruned at any time of the year.

We sell only trees that are true to the original form and we have a wide range of sizes to give you the best plant for your purpose. However we are constantly renewing our stock so our customers get fresh, healthy plants, so supplies of this tree may be limited. To avoid disappointment order now.

Growing Burning Bushes

Burning Bush will easily grow a foot a year -and not just up, but out as well. Yet it can be pruned easily into a neat hedge and the more you prune the denser and more beautiful your hedge will become. This tough plant is an excellent choice for a hedge or screen up to 15 feet tall or perhaps even more. It can be controlled to 3 to 5 feet wide. Because the root system is fibrous there are no large roots, so it can be planted close to a building, drive or walkway and it will not damage the foundations or lift the walk.

Burning Bush is tolerant of all but the most severe drought conditions. Once established the plants need no additional water in a normal summer and indeed, dry summers help to make the fall color even stronger. It has no pests or diseases and is usually not eaten by deer. Burning Bush, Euonymus alatus, grows wild in colder areas of China, Korea and Japan. It was brought to America around 1860 and proved itself to be a hardy, reliable plant that tolerates a wide variety of conditions

Size and Appearance

Left un-pruned Burning Bush will grow into a small tree 15 to 20 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet across. Some trees may even become wider than they are tall. This is an elegant tree, with the branches growing almost horizontally as the tree matures. As a specimen in an open area, it makes a beautiful picture at all seasons. Pruned, it is easily controlled and can be grown into a hedge 5 to 15 feet tall.

The trunk is usually quite small and the plant will usually have multiple trunks. The stems have ridges of light-brown bark along them which look like little wings – the word ‘alatus’ in the scientific name of the Burning Bush means a wing. The leaves are small, one or two inches long, and oval in shape. They are an attractive slightly bluish green color in summer, but in fall they turn the most brilliant scarlet red you can imagine. A tree or hedge in the fall is a magnificent sight and will be the talk of your neighborhood. The flowers are small and inconspicuous and the fruit is a small red berry that is a valuable source of food for many types of birds.

Hardiness and Climate

Burning Bush is amazingly hardy right across America except for Florida and California where the winters are not cold enough for it. It even grows well up into Canada, so no matter how cold your area is, this plant will thrive. It will also be happy in exposed, sunny locations and in dry soil, once it is established. There is need to make any special preparations, just plant your Burning Bush in a sunny spot and it will do the rest.

Using as a Hedge

There are many different varieties of Burning Bush available. Some of them are very small and slow-growing, so they will never make a large hedge. When planting a hedge or screen, Burning Bush should be planted 4-5 feet apart. It is important to buy the right plant, and our trees are grown the correct way, from branch cuttings taken from selected trees. That way every tree is identical to the original so they will produce a very uniform effect when planted in a row. However, these take longer to produce, so avoid cheaper, seedling trees that will only be a disappointment.

Planting Location

Burning Bush will grow in sun or partial shade. However, trees grown in shade will not develop such strong fall colors, turning a beautiful pink, rather than red. So for the best fall color try to plant in a sunny location. This is a hardy tree that will grow in any kind of soil and rarely needs fertilizer. Some fertilizer may be useful in the first few years if you want to grow your hedge as rapidly as possible. Burning Bush can be pruned at any time of year and clipped as often as you want. The more you clip it the denser and fuller it will grow. If you want your hedge right down to the ground, remember to keep the top narrower than the bottom, with slightly sloping sides, so that the light will reach the bottom branches and keep them growing strongly.

Invasive Plant Info

Although Burning Bush is quite popular throughout the US, it is found to be invasive in a number of states including our home state of MD. Although it can be bought and planted it should be planted with caution. it is listed as a tier-2 invasive plant in Maryland.