Many shrubs produce fine autumn colour, but one of my favourites is the deciduous euonymus. You will probably have seen them mass-planted on roundabouts and car parks — varieties such as the variegated evergreen E. fortunei ‘Emerald ’n’ Gold’ and ‘Silver Queen’. Although these shrubs are popular and useful (they are almost bombproof, carpet the ground well and thrive in sun or shade), some gardeners and designers think they are a little stodgy. The deciduous varieties are overlooked as a result, which is a shame because they have striking and delicate qualities that come to the fore at this time of year.
The common native E. europaeus often grows on the edges of forests, and in hedgerows and scrub. Its common name is “the spindle
