Winter Creeper

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Miller, James H.; Manning, Steven T.; Enloe, Stephen F. 2010. A management guide for invasive plants in southern forests. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–131. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 120 p.

Winter creeper or climbing euonymus [Euonymus fortunei (Turcz.) Hand.-Maz.] is an evergreen shrub to 3 feet (1 m) in height and woody trailing vine to 40 to 70 feet (12 to 22 m) that forms a dense ground cover and climbs trees and rocks by clinging aerial roots along stems. It has leaves that are opposite, thick, and dark green or green-white variegated on green stems. Pinkish-to-red capsules split open in fall to expose orange fleshy-covered seeds. Species colonizes by trailing and climbing vines that root at nodes, and fleshy-coated seeds are spread by birds, other animals, and water. Still produced, sold, and planted as an ornamental with several cultivars.

Management strategies

Do not plant. Remove prior plantings, and control sprouts and seedlings. Bag and dispose of plants and fruit in a dumpster or burn.
Treat when new plants are young to prevent seed formation.
Pull, cut, and treat when fruit are not present.
Repeated cutting to groundline commonly recommended for control.
Injury of the leaves by a string trimmer immediately prior to herbicide spraying can improve control with those lacking soil activity.
Cut all vertical climbing stems to prevent fruiting and spread of seed by birds.
Burning treatments are suspected of having minimal effect.

Recommended control procedures

When nontarget damage is not a concern, thoroughly wet all leaves (until runoff) with one of the following herbicides in water with a surfactant (July to October for successive years): Tordon 101* ‡ as a 3-percent solution (12 ounces per 3-gallon mix) or Tordon K* ‡ as a 2-percent solution (8 ounces per 3-gallon mix).
When safety to surrounding vegetation is desired, apply Garlon 4 or a glyphosate herbicide as a 4-percent solution (1 pint per 3-gallon mix) in water with a surfactant, preferably in the fall a month before expected frost, and repeat in the spring to regrowth.
For large vines, make stem injections using Arsenal AC*, Garlon 3A, or a glyphosate herbicide using dilutions and cut-spacings specified on the herbicide label (anytime except March and April).

* Nontarget plants may be killed or injured by root uptake.

‡ When using Tordon herbicides, rainfall must occur within 6 days after application for needed soil activation. Tordon herbicides are restricted use pesticides.