Can someone help me identify this bush?

Question

I recently bought a house and there is a bush I would like to know the name. It has pink flowers in it but I think they appear late summer.

Can someone help identify the name please?

Answer 1

This is Euonymus alatus, the burning bush or spindle tree. Look for the leaves to turn a bright red in fall and older branches to have corky "wings". It is possible that this is the dwarf cultivar "compactus" as the plant pictured is about the right size of three to four feet (1 to 1.5 M). The species is sold as a shrub in North America but can grow to be a tree of eight feet tall (2 to 3 M).

Although this plant is popular Wikipedia notes it is considered an invasive species in

Eastern North America, and its importation and sale is prohibited in the states of Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

It is easy to grow but can be subject to scale attacks which can be treated with soap and water. A native North American plant that will fulfill the same function in the landscape is the Winterberry or Ilex verticillata. It too has good fall colour, red berries and is adaptable to a wide range of soil and light conditions.