Hearts-a-Bustin'

Euonymus americanus

This common name alone is worth the price of admission. and in fall, hearts-a-bustin' earns it completely. The warty, bright magenta-pink seed capsules split open in October to reveal shiny orange-red seeds dangling from each lobe, creating one of the most theatrical fall displays in the native palette. It looks almost tropical, which makes it all the more surprising to find this as a Virginia woodland understory shrub. It's an upright, loosely branched shrub for shaded edges and woodland gardens, where it naturalizes gracefully without demanding attention. The inconspicuous summer flowers transition to those explosive fall pods, and birds. especially thrushes and bluebirds. seek out the seeds before they drop.