Euonymous fortunei 'Silver Queen'

 This picture was taken the day I arrived and the Long Borders were still showing its winter colors. On Friday another gardener and I were charged with the daunting task of pruning this emblematic euonymous. We looked at this plant for an hour, taking tentative cuts until Fergus came along shaking his head. He made lots of quick cuts, standing back from time to time to investigate the shrub from all angles, then going back and taking more. It was an exciting thing to watch actually, and you really saw his process and his eye at work, one cut could literally change everything.

The following photos were all taken after the pruning job. It seemed like we made dramatic changes, but after looking at the before and after shots, the shape, form, and feeling of this 'emerald and gold' still remains in tact.

You really notice this shrub this time a year as the rest of the border is cut down. The euonymous anchors the Long Border and is beautifully framed by the yew hedge.

We have cleared, weeded, cleaned, cut back, and even planted out this side of the long border...

and tomorrow morning this side awaits us!