Thanks, ego. Do you mean that September would not be a good time because it doesn't give the plant time to establish itself before it gets cold? We generally hit frost around end November, but of course, that could change to much earlier - we never know. Also, when you say loose soil, in other words, strip the leaves and basically stick it in the ground and that's it? I do that with Montauk Daisies and that works find for me. Thanks - Carrie (PS Will do some in the spring, but may try a couple now)

At my old house I had 3 Emerald Gaiety in front of my east facing front porch. They were there when we moved in and when we moved out about 10 years later. They received sun until around 1 p.m. and were planted in a narrow strip which was quite dry. Pruning was a matter of a few snips here and there of branches that strayed off the brick porch sides. I usually neatened them up once a season (short seasons here). They made a nice contrast to the plain green Mugo pines and easily gave up the limelight to the glory of that particular garden - a very old green cutleaf Japanese Maple with its drooping foliage and gnarled old branches. In my present home, I too ran into a deal on euonymus at a big box store. I brought home a bunch of Emerald n Golds and planted them in my "Yellow" Hosta bed under an open multi-trunked tree in my south facing backyard. The soil here is much richer and heavier - and wetter. The shade is hit or miss (& sometimes the hosta leaves on the ever increasing-in-size hostas do flop over the top of them & bury them completely). The euonymus (when & where they can be seen) make a nice contrast in leaf size & texture with the now huge hosta & I never bother to trim the long stems at all, but just let them meander around where they want. The Emerald n'Gold euonymus do shine, however, in early spring, before the hosta awaken and in fall & early winter when the hosta have gone to sleep (and before Ole Man Winter drops snow of them and buries them). I can't say how they will do in full sun, but they are very versatile and easy shrubs to grow & you can always plant a large perennial to give them some partial shade!

I wish this thread had been around when I was trying to decide on a tree. I planted Emerald Pagoda in fall of '06, so it has now gone through two of our winters. We had weather as cold as -10, and the tree survived, but it looks really bad this year. Both springs it had random dead branches, as mentioned above, and it also got nipped by a late frost. This year, it rebudded and even put out flowers, but the leaves are puny except at the top of the tree and some of the larger branches. We have had little rain and I probably should have watered sooner than I did. I've given it two long soakings. Am wondering if there's anything else I can do to baby it along. Is anybody else trying to grow this as far north as I am? I notice most of you are in the mid-south. If so, what do you recommend?

There is a golden euononymus which is very strongly variagated with yellow. It is common and sold at HD or Lowes. I do not know the exact name of this variety. Sorry.