Japanese Spindle

Japanese spindle is the dense, upright evergreen shrub that anchors foundation plantings and formal hedges across the milder parts of Western Washington. It grows to about ten feet with glossy, dark green foliage and small greenish-white flowers in June that nobody notices. The foliage is the point, thick, leathery, and available in variegated cultivars with gold or white margins that brighten shaded entries and north-facing borders. Native to Japan, it has been a landscape staple in mild-climate gardens worldwide.

Japanese spindle takes sun to part shade and handles the range of soils common to residential sites. It is rated Zone 5a through 8b, making it reliable through the Puget Sound lowlands. Four diseases and three pests are tracked, with euonymus scale the most persistent, a hard-shelled insect that colonizes stems and leaf undersides, producing white coverings that weaken the plant over time. Inspect the stems annually and treat infestations early with horticultural oil during dormancy. Beyond scale, the plant is trouble-free. For a mid-height evergreen hedge or screen that tolerates shearing and stays dense, Japanese spindle performs consistently.