Euonymus Fortunei ‘Wolong Ghost’ (Silver-veined Wintercreeper)

For those of us who will never visit the giant Pandas in China, at least we can enjoy this lovely little plant from near the Wolong Nature Reserve. The leaves are dark, slender and have prominent white veining. Normally it forms a ground hugging mat up to 1.5m spread, but with a little encouragement and some support it can also be trained as a climber over stumps and up trellises.

Give it good drainage and it will grow happily in full sun or in partial shade, in any aspect, in both exposed and sheltered positions.

N.B. When clipping several plants with the same tool, have a bucket containing a 5% bleach solution and swish your blades around for 30 seconds between plants to sterilise them. This will help avoid the chance of cross contamination of disease.

As with all woody plants, plant high, exposing as much of the taper at the base of the trunk as possible. Allowing soil to accumulate round the base of a tree can be fatal. Keep very well watered when first planted.