SCIENTIFIC NAME: Euonymus americanus

COMMON NAME: Strawberry Bush, Hearts A'busting

GARDEN SIZE: 4 to 6 feet tall by 4 to 6 feet wide

GROWTH RATE: Moderate

USDA ZONE: 6 to 9

EXPOSURE: Part shade to shade. Tolerates full sun with consistent moisture, but afternoon shade is preferred in Tennessee, especially in hotter regions.

WATER & SOIL: Prefers moist, well-drained soils but adapts to clay, loam, and high-organic soils; tolerates occasional drought, wet soils, and black walnut

HABIT (FORM): Multi-stemmed deciduous shrub; sprawling when young, becoming more upright with age

FOLIAGE: Deciduous; Green leaves turning brilliant red in fall

FLOWERS: Small, yellow-green flowers with purple stamens in late spring; not showy

PLANT ORIGIN: Central and Eastern United States; native to Davidson and Robertson Counties, Tennessee

WILDLIFE SUPPORT: Fruits feed songbirds and small mammals; excellent native wildlife shrub

FERTILIZING: Rarely needed; thrives in naturally fertile woodland soils

PRUNING: Minimal; prune to remove suckers or shape after fruiting if desired

TOXICITY FLAGS: All parts are mildly toxic if eaten in large quantities

USES: Woodland gardens, naturalized areas, rain gardens, native hedges, specimen shrub