PLANT OF THE WEEK

SPINDLEBERRY

This deciduous shrub is easily overlooked until autumn when the leaves turn a flaming red, pink and orange.

At the same time, a crop of strange, small-lobed fruits ripen to reddish-pink and split open to reveal orange seeds inside – and the effect is very showy. The pick of the bunch for small gardens is ‘Red Cascade’.

Spindleberry (Euonymus europaeus) likes any reasonably good soil and prefers light shade, so it’s fine for growing between trees or in a mixed hedge.

It’s also ideal for wild gardens.