BURNING BUSH
(click image to make it larger)

 

The Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus ‘Compacta’) is better known for its intense red color in the fall.  But did you know it is easily identified in the winter landscape by its heavy winged or corked bark and stunning red berries?  This gives this hardy shrub outstanding winter interest.  Its coarse texture stands out in the landscape and its dense branching provides shelter for small birds.  Burning bush can be used as a specimen plant at the foundation or as an accent or screening in a border garden.  It can be trimmed formal to 4-5 feet or allowed to grow into a large specimen shrub up to 15 feet high on average.