Spindle Tree Hedge Plants

• Common name: Spindle, Spindle Tree, Spindleberry
• Latin name: Euonymus europaeus
• Sold as: Bareroot plants at 40/60cm, 60/80cm and 90/120cm
• Spacing: 3 plants per metre in a single row, or 6 per metre in a staggered double row
• Leaves: Deciduous, turning pink or red in autumn
• Flowers: Small and greenish-white
• Fruit: Four-lobed pink capsules that split to show orange seeds
• Best soil and site: Any well-drained soil, chalk included, of any pH. Sun or partial shade
• Trimming: Once a year, in winter, so that the berries are not cut off before they colour
• Native: Yes
• Thorns: None
• Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators. A foodplant of the Holly Blue butterfly and the Spindle Ermine moth
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Spindle is a native, deciduous hedge plant grown for its autumn, when the leaves turn pink or red and the pink fruits split to show orange seeds. It grows in any well-drained soil, chalk included, in sun or partial shade, has no thorns and is on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list.

Spindle Tree Hedge Plants

Spindle Berry, Euonymus europaeus, is a large native bush or shrubby tree that makes an excellent country hedging plant. It'll grow on practically any soil and tolerates dappled shade.
Spindle can reach about 6 metres if it grows freely as a tree or large shrub. It's suitable for hedging up to about 4 metres tall.

Bareroot hedge plants are only delivered, during winter (Nov-April).

See our selection of native hedging plants or view our full range of hedging.
Browse all our evergreen and native Euonymus varieties.

Choosing a size:
When you are ordering plants for a hedge, we generally recommend that you use plants that are graded at 40/60cm or 60/80cm. They're cheaper than large plants, easier to handle, and they'll establish well in poor conditions.
Use the larger, 90/120cm tall plants if you want a big hedge quickly or for instant impact as a specimen shrub.
All our hedge plants are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Spacing a Spindle hedge:

Plant Spindle hedging at 3 plants per metre, 33cm apart.
You can also plant at 6 plants per metre in a staggered double row, with 33cm between each plant along the row and 40cm between the rows.

General description of Spindle Berry plants:

The Spindleberry or Spindle tree, Euonymus europaeus, is one of Britain's most colourful native, large shrubs. It's a fast-growing, bushy plant that is perfect for hedges and rough, country style screening. It has fantastically bright berries and autumn leaves. The tiny flowers are green and insignificant, but they still attract bees and ripen over the summer into shiny, bright orange seeds that poke out of a punk pink casing.
Spindleberry is commonly used in mixed country hedgerows and is often found growing wild in chalky areas.
Please note that although the seeds are beautiful, they are poisonous to humans. They taste very bitter, so children will spit them out if they try one, but it's still important to educate them about poisonous plants.

History & Trivia

Spindle wood is hard and was often used for making tool handles, including textile spindles. Spindle is a classic component of a mixed country hedge.

Native species that are useful to people tend to have a lot of common names around the country: Ananbeam, Catwood, Skewerwood, Pegwood, Gatten or Gatter tree, Louseberry.

Planting Companions

In a native mix, Spindle is the autumn colour, and Guelder Rose, Wayfaring Tree and Dog Rose carry the flower and the berry. Hawthorn and Hazel make the body of the hedge around them. Spindle is one of the plants in our Conservation Hedge pack, linked above. Dust the roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Buy Hedging from Ashridge

Hedging is not a sideline here: your Spindle is grown for us as hedging by specialist growers. Bareroot plants are lifted to order while dormant and guaranteed for 12 months. Ashridge has sold plants since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Spindle thorny?

No. Old names such as Skewerwood and Pegwood come from what the hard wood was made into, not from thorns on the bush.

When should you trim a Spindle hedge?

Once a year, in winter. Trim it earlier and you cut off the berries before they colour. It is in pruning group 1, which means it needs very little pruning.

Why is my Spindle covered in webbing?

That is the Spindle Ermine, a native moth whose caterpillars spin webs over the plant in late summer. It looks alarming, but the plant recovers.

Will Spindle grow on chalk?

Yes. It grows in chalk, clay, loam and sand at any pH, as long as the soil drains, and is often found growing wild in chalky areas.

Does Spindle grow in shade?

It grows in sun or partial shade, and in our experience it tolerates dappled shade as well.

Is Spindle good for wildlife?

Yes. It is on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list, the flowers are a rich source of nectar and pollen, and the leaves feed the caterpillars of the Holly Blue butterfly and several moths.

When are the plants delivered?

Bareroot only, from November to April, while the plants are dormant. You can order at any time of year and your plants are lifted and sent once the season opens.