MG, you owe me a new keyboard! You comment took me completely by surprise and I laughed so hard I just spewed my coffee all over mine! (slight exaggeration....but it did go up my nose! )
You guys are so so funny. I have a few that go haywire like that. I always wondered what they were doing. Now I know.
Sometimes plants will mutate....seriously, no joke...in the botanical world it has become acceptable to call them 'sports'. Sports usually happen on woody plants (but sometimes on herbs) and sometimes have been cultivated to become very common varieties of the original. The seedless Ruby grapefruit and Naval oranges are both sports that were developed into stable cultivars. Not all mutations are stable but you could take cuttings to root and see what happens. There are many causes of the mutations but common ones are cold temperatures, viruses, X-rays, and UV radiation My Blue Girl rose bush keeps sending out sports, there are two of them this year that are almost 10 feet tall. I just haven't gotten out there to cut them back or into pieces to try rooting.
Just be careful Ronni that it doesn't start following you around. You just never know with mutants what they'll get up to next.
I read somewhere that young Euonymus will grow long stems. I dont remember if the book said theyll get shrubbier as they get older or if thats how the spread or what. My moms ex fiance had one growing and it was a spreading rather than a shrubby Euonymus. Im trying to Google it, but not coming up with much.
purple, it looks just like that! But I checked my file for what I planted in the front garden, and yes, it's a "Gold Edge Euonymus/Aureo Marginata" According to the description: "Dark Green leaves with a golden margin. Compact, upright habit. Use as an accent, border or foundation plant. Height 3 - 6' Spacing 3' Bloom period foliage plant. Well, it certainly isn't compact! It's planted near the Bradford pear tree, and I guess it's decided it needs to do its damndest to emulate the height of its buddy!
So................what do I do with it? If the consensus is that I cut it off, what then? How do I make the cutting grow roots? If it were a houseplant, I'd just set it in a vase of water and watch the roots form and grow, and eventually re-pot it.
Ronni, the following website has very explicit instructions on rooting euonymus. I've never done it myself, but it doesn't seem too difficult. Of course, since this is cloning, and you are taking the cuttings from your tall stem, you may end up with a bunch of euonymus peeping Toms, peering about your garden! http://homeguides.sfgate.com/root-golden-euonymus-67119.html
