Manhattan Euonymus (Euonymus kiautschovicus 'Manhattan')
yew-ON-ih-mus kiautschovicus 'Manhattan'

Deciduous Perennial in the Celastraceae Family

Euonymus is a genus of roughly 130-140 deciduous and evergreen shrubs, small trees, and vines in the bittersweet family (Celastraceae), native to Asia, Europe, North America, and parts of North Africa and Australia. Forms range from upright multi-stemmed shrubs to low, rooting groundcovers and vigorous climbing vines, with small, inconspicuous four-petaled flowers in late spring or summer followed by colorful seed capsules that split open to reveal orange-red seeds birds love to spread.

Two species make up almost everything sold under this name in the Chicago area: the deciduous Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus), prized for brilliant red fall foliage, and the evergreen Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei), grown as a groundcover, climbing vine, or small shrub for its variegated foliage. Both are fast, tough, adaptable plants -- and both have a well-documented invasive streak in parts of the eastern and midwestern U.S., so newer seedless or restrained cultivars are generally a better choice than unimproved, heavy-seeding forms.

Pros

  • Extremely tough and adaptable to sun, shade, and many soil types
  • Fast growing
  • Many species offer excellent fall color or year-round evergreen foliage
  • Deer-resistant options available

Cons

  • Several popular species/cultivars are invasive via bird-spread seed in parts of the Midwest and East
  • Euonymus scale is a common, sometimes serious pest
  • Low-severity toxicity if parts are eaten in quantity
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 4 - 6 feet tall. 3 - 5 feet wide.
Sun Exposure Partial Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium
Zones 5a - 8b (Usually hardy to -20° F)
Tags Deciduous, Full Sun, Medium, Medium, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Perennial
Bloom Period July to August
Flower Color Greenish-White
Foliage Color
 

More Info from Experts
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Pricing and Availability History

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!