variegated Euronymous shrub/tree fungus

[Hedge]

I'm a renter, so I'm mostly interested in container gardening. I have a long narrow fenced-in terrace, with interlocking brick (east side - morning light until 2ish). But I have a couple of tiny beds with badly shaped cedar shrubs and a euronymous shrub/tree thing (up against the house). An over-grown apple tree with a little bed beneath it, just inside my gate entrance



The variegated euronymous shrub/tree has this weird fungus/canker that's kinda woody knarly looking growing on it. When I cut some of it off and opened it, it looked like a woody sponge. Porous but dry. The branches die past the point of this stuff. It just started last summer and has spread to more branches. I can't take a picture now because of ice and snow, but I certainly will as soon as our Spring thaw arrives. I've been pruning to shape it, in early spring before too much new growth begins. Am I the problem? Can I cure it?

[MagnoliaMan]

We have a lot of euonymus crown gall in our area. I believe that it is actually a bacterial infection and not a fungus. Most of the time it occurs near the soil line, but I have seen it higher up in the plants. It looks like a burl growing on the stem, in a way remniscent of an old, spent, black walnut looking cedar-apple rust gall (if you are familiar with that). Depending on the species it is on may either kill the stem from that point out or stunt the heck out of growth beyond. Seems to affect a number of the euonymus species, but not burningbush (well, I haven't seen it, anyway).
The bad news is that if you have it in your yard on one susceptible euonymus, it will keep going to all the rest in your neighborhood. I know you are a renter, but you should tell your landlord to do everyone a favor and take it out (if indeed that is what it is). Google euounymus crown gall.
MagnoliaMan

[valleytreeman]

Euonymus are famous for being infested by scale insects. I'd look into scale as a possible cause.