Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Planting
Purple Wintercreeper (Euonymus coloratus) is a very versatile, fast growing groundcover that will adapt to a wide variety of soils and will grow in full sun or full shade. The trailing vines root in as the grow along the ground making this a great selection as an erosion controller on slopes or embankments. It is also very useful planted under large shade trees, where not much else will grow.

Before planting Purple Wintercreeper or other groundcover plants as a groundcover, it might be necessary to do some site preparation. First, you'll need to eliminate any weeds or grasses that are growing in the area. There are many ways to do this however spraying with a weed killer is easiest and most efficient. If you are planting groundcover plants under a tree, and intend to till the soil before planting, be careful not to till to deep and damage tree roots.

Next you'll need to determine how many plants will be required to fill the area. To do so, measure and multiply the length by the width of the planting area to determine total square feet. Then decide how far you want to space you groundcover plants.

You can then use a plant calculator to easily determine how many plants you'll need to fill the area. Here's a link to a plant calculator in Gardenality:

www.gardenality.com/Articles/687/Resources/Calculations/How-To-Calculate-Plants-Per-Square-Feet/default.html

Depending on how fast you want to the groundcover plants to fill and cover the area, I recommend spacing them about half the distance as their listed, mature width. If the plant is listed to grow 3 feet in width, space 18 to 24 inches apart. Before planting, space all plants out in the planting area, or use marking paint to mark the planting spots. Begin by setting out a row of plants along the edge of the perimeter, making sure to space them at a distance far enough from the edge to allow for future spreading. For example, plants that are spaced 24" apart should be spaced at a distance of 12" from the edge of the bed or surfaced area. After setting out the first row, stagger the plants on the second row, and so on. After all of the plants have been set in place, or marked, you may begin planting. If you mulched the planting area in advance of planting, rake back a small area of the mulch in order to dig planting hole. To plant, dig a hole 2 times as wide, or more, than the container the plant came in. Mix in an organic soil ammendment such as mushroom compost at a 50/50 ratio with the soil removed from the planting hole. Remove the plant from the container and scratch root ball to loosen feeder roots. Place plant in hole making sure that the top edge of the root ball is level or slightly above the level of the ground. Backfill around the rootball with soil mixture tamping lightly as you go to remove air pockets. Water thoroughly and cover with a 1 to 2 inch layer of mulch if you haven't already done so.

Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Pruning
Purple Wintercreeper (Euonymus coloratus) does not require pruning however, if necessary, you can clip it any time of year along the edges to keep in bounds.

Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Feeding
Purple Wintercreeper (Euonymus coloratus) is not a heavy feeder however a spring and late summer application of a well-balanced, slow-release plant food will help to promote vigorous growth and deep-greening of foliage.

Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Problems
I've seen no insect, pest or disease problems with Purple Wintercreeper (Euonymus colorataus). This is one tough plant that is easily grown almost anywhere: in sun or shade and in any type of soil.

Spencer Young · Gardenality Genius · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Pruning
Purple winter creeper can be cleaned up if it looks messy or goes out of berders but generally speaking needs no pruning