Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald 'n' Gold'

A radiant staple for adding permanent brightness to the garden, this classic evergreen shrub offers year-round cheer even on the dullest of days.

The glossy foliage is the main event, featuring bright green leaves with broad, vivid golden-yellow margins that hold their colour intensity well throughout the year. As the temperature drops in winter, the gold variegation is often overlaid with a warming pinkish-red flush, providing a secondary season of interest.

'Emerald 'n' Gold' is famously versatile in its habit: left alone, it forms a low, spreading mound that makes excellent weed-suppressing ground cover or a neat low hedge; planted against a wall or fence, it acts as a climber, scrambling up supports to brighten vertical surfaces. It is exceptionally tough and unfussy, thriving in almost any soil and happy in sun, partial shade or shade, though the gold colour is always most intense in a sunny spot.

Barnsdale tip: Just like its white-variegated cousin, this plant is prone to 'reversion,' where it throws out vigorous, plain green shoots. Check the plant a couple of times a year and prune these green stems right back to their origin to prevent them from outgrowing the beautiful golden foliage.

Evergreen shrub. Will grow in sun or shade in most garden soils. Height & spread: 100cm x 150cm (3' x 5').