Illustration
Strawberry Bush
Euonymus americanus
Also called hearts-a-busting, bursting heart, brook euonymus and american euonymus
Also comes in purple.
Strawberry Bush blooms from May through June.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Strawberry Bush
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 6–9. Expect it to reach about 5 ft tall and 4 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 4 years (a house reading).
Is Strawberry Bush toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs and cats by Pet Poison Helpline.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Strawberry Bush
Plant Strawberry Bush in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 7, the middle of its hardy zones 6 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means September or October. Once settled, it blooms from May to June.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 7, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 7 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Strawberry Bush get?
5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult4 ftwideSee Strawberry Bush in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Strawberry Bush
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Strawberry Bush about 4 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Strawberry Bush to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Strawberry Bush's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 11 published sources on October 25, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- NC State Extensionheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- tnyards.utk.eduUniversity of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, Tennessee Smart Yardsheight, spread, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- University of Florida IFASExtensionheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water and bloom months and color
- kollarnursery.comKollar Nurseryheight, spread, sun, water and bloom months and color
- Oregon State UniversityLandscape Plantsheight, hardiness zones, sun and bloom months and color
- chalk.richmond.eduUniversity of Richmond, Campus Treesheight, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Chicago Botanic Gardenhardiness zones, sun and bloom months and color
- harvest.cals.ncsu.eduNC Division of Water Resources, NC Common Wetland Plants Guide (hosted...height and bloom months and color
- morrisarboretum.orgMorris Arboretum & Gardens, University of Pennsylvaniabloom months and color
- ag.missouristate.eduMissouri State University, Plant Identification by Pamela Borden Trewa...trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Where it grows wild
Native to 24 states
United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and 12 more
Recorded growing wild in 763 counties.
Range data from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 4.0, adapted) and USDA PLANTS. How the native range is credited.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.