Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei) Experiment

[thams]

I picked up this little guy this past summer for $8 at a local plant nursery. I was (and still am) unsure if it will make a suitable bonsai, but I figured what the hell. It was hacked back when right when I purchased it. I just gave it a little trim. I left a lot of shoots intentionally for potential branches later. I'm still unsure what to do with it, so I'm going to let it bush out to give options. Worse comes to worse I'll make it a large accent or plant it in the yard. For $8 I figured it was worth a shot.

 

[Handsome John]

Im sure you could do something funky with it but I would be careful though, they're extremely prone to crown gall which can really mess up the trunk and kill off shoots. I would still give it a go, it looks like its got a decent trunk to it! Just make sure to sterilize your tools before and after

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I think one of the issues with Euonymus bonsai in general is they tend to have only one flush of growth per year. When you prune in middle of summer, buds don't sprout, until the following year. At least that is the issue with E. alata, and the shrubbier Euonymus species. There are other bonsai species that have this issue, like beech. So it is not an insurmountable problem, just makes the going slower. But I don't have hands on experience with E. fortunei. So this one may respond differently.