Why Can’t I Just Shear It?
I call this one of my “go-to” plants. Manhattan Euonymus is tough, nice looking, fast growing, and cheap (I mean relatively inexpensive). Yes you could shear it – many people do, but the result will be excessive, dense branching on the sheared ends. This produces that mass of stems and leaves on the exterior and nothing but bare stems on the inside. Look, I get it. If you have a huge hedge it’s not practical to hand-prune. But I really feel I need to state the correct way to prune if you have the time and desire.
Concentrate On The Older Stems
Look at the flush of growth on this euonymus in the pic above. If we don’t get this plant under control the view of the house will be obliterated. To do this I start in one area and pick a point on the plant where even after aggressive pruning there will still be enough foliage to look presentable and “mask” the heavy cuts I’ll be making. And that’s the key. Notice in the picture here on the left that I’m ready to cut into 2nd, possibly 3rd year growth. But before I make the cut I check to see that there’s leafy growth nearby that will eventually fill in and help disguise the major cut.
Like with most shrub pruning, make sure the plant shape is getting wider towards the base, i.e. don’t go in at the bottom and make it look like a ball. There are still a few cuts remaining, but you can already see a difference. If you look at the before pic above you’ll notice that most of the pruning occurred in the upper portion of the plant. I did proportionately less cutting as I came down the sides towards the ground. To avoid creating “indescribable shapes” and hearing wise-crack remarks from neighbors, stand back occasionally and check it out as you go. I always say “picture an imaginary line as to how the shape should look (think “mounded” and wider at the base) and try to follow it”.
September 26, 2011 at 10:15 pm
Manhattan Euonymus
I am trying to clone these and grow them in a green house I have but am having trouble. Where can I find instructions on best conditions and what part of cutting should be used for best rooting chances?
September 27, 2011 at 9:28 am
Mark,
Unfortunately plant propagation is something I’m not too well versed in.
I did take a propagation class in college, and funny enough I still have the text: Plant Propagation, Principles and Practices (2nd Edition) by Hartman & Kester. I looked it up on Amazon and here’s the current edition.
It would be really helpful if you could visit a nursery where they do woody plant propagation to see their systems and techniques. I wonder if any of your local nurseries or garden centers could suggest any propagators they do business with?
Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.
October 4, 2011 at 11:08 am
Can I trim my manhattan euonymus in October?
October 4, 2011 at 2:12 pm
If pruning the plant is something you can put off, I’d say prune in spring. Winter can cause frost damage and you’d rather have the current growth on the plant for some extra protection.
If the situation requires you prune it now, the plant will probably be OK. These euonymus can recover quite readily.
January 20, 2012 at 7:18 am
I work for a company who installs and maintains neighborhood entrances. There are euonymous manhattans that have been planted but the previous maintenance crew has been in the habit of shearing them. Now they have done exactly as you said they would and all the foliage is on the outside edge leaving the interior bare. Is it too late to or is there something I can do to make these flush back out.
January 21, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Hi Kelli,
Dave Kennedy, a landscape contractor and one of our contributors here on LA, calls this euonymus a weed. And he means that in a complimentary sort of way. We like this plant because it’s attractive (when used and cared for properly) and it’s a “trooper”, i.e. it’s fairly tough and you can use (mold it) to all sorts of applications.
It will rejuvenate and re-bud if you make severe cuts to re-shape it and get it back to where it belongs. Of course it will take a little patience on the part of the homeowners that have to look at it during that “rejuvenation period,” but on the other hand this “weed of a plant” responds pretty quickly.
Think about this approach too. Eunoymus Manhattan is a relatively inexpensive plan, and it grows fairly rapidly. Perhaps it makes sense to just remove those that are severely overgrown and replace them, either with new euonymus or another selection. You have to weigh the cost and involvement of your pruning campaign to rejuvenate them vs. replacing them.