They’re the drama queens of your garden – they’ll even give themselves a showy standing ovation. But expecting applause and adoration is about as demanding as euphorbias get. Despite their many unusual forms, it’s a simple case of plant, sit back and watch as they pull focus in a range of showy and often psychedelic colours – so give them top billing.
Euphorbia care
Euphorbias are rugged, drought tolerant and resilient to pests and disease. Always wear gloves when you’re handling euphorbias since the white, milky sap from their stems is poisonous and can irritate your skin and eyes.
Aspect
Euphorbias need full sun or part shade.
Soil
A well-drained, moist soil is required.
Water
Water during extended dry periods, but sparingly at other times or you can risk root rot.
Fertiliser
A slow-release fertiliser, low in nitrogen is ideal in spring.
Types of euphorbias
Many euphorbias are also known as spurge, but this family of unusual-looking succulents is as diverse as you can get.
Euphorbia characias
The most familiar spurge is Euphorbia characias with its fresh, bluish-green foliage, topped by domes of tiny, limey flowers in spring and summer. Like the eyes of aliens on stalks, the tiny flowers of Mediterranean spurge should be among your favourite Martians.
Mediterranean spurge is ideal for hot, dry spots – it’s drought-tolerant and the acid green will energise a bleached, dry garden.
The fabulous limey flower heads launch themselves from their woody stems like rockets during spring and summer – a spectacular garden feature sure to turn heads!
Clashing colours say ‘look at me’ – try golden Mediterranean spurge with purple alliums and wallflowers.
Euphorbia milii
The crown of thorns (E. Milii) has flower-like bracts in red, white or hot pink in spring that camouflage the thorny stems where birds can hide from predatory cats. Not to fear, although the spiky stems can cause you some pain, they are harmless to birds and other garden creatures that use the shrub for shelter.
You can grow the compact crown of thorns inside, or in your garden where it’s warm. It flowers most of the year, but the hot colours come from the bracts.
Euphorbia leucocephala
The pretty snowflake (E. leucocephala) is a small tree that produces fragrant white flowers with showy white bracts from April to July. If you’re frost-free, get the winter wonderland effect with snowflake bushes (E. leucocephala) lining your driveway.
Euphorbia tirucalli
The vibrant pencil tree (E. tirucalli) is actually a small shrub and, if you get the red variety, it will be a fiery feature in your winter garden.
Fire up your winter garden with pencil tree ‘Firesticks’ amid bromeliads and the arching flowers of New Zealand flax.
Euphorbia pulcherrima
The adored poinsettia (E. pulcherrima) may be something you get at Christmas, then toss when the colours fade. But you can put them in your garden to grow into a shrub or small tree.
These Mexican natives flower naturally in winter – perfect in northern climes for that traditional red and green cheer. But don’t expect these little plants to perform again next Christmas. They’ll revert to their natural inclination and flower in winter. So find a sunny spot in your garden to plant them and then appreciate their fiery colour in the dim, grim days of winter.
The flowers are little pop-ups, edged not by red leaves or petals, but by bracts, which are modified leaves. Team red poinsettia bushes in your garden with white varieties.
Euphorbia rigida
Large limey flower heads top each stem of E. rigida in winter, turning red in spring.
Euphorbia myrsinites
Rather than standing tall, the stems of myrtle spurge (E. myrsinites) spread across the ground, with their symmetrically spiralling leaves looking like a slither of snakes.
Plant myrtle spurge under the canopy of other plants, such as a flowering sedum, for dusky pink and dusky blue contrast.
All rustic steps need some prettying up, and the myrtle spurge will not only spill over and across the risers but also produce acid green flower heads in spring that fade to a dusky pink in winter.
Euphorbia griffithii
The griffith spurge will blaze through summer with vivid, long-lasting orange bracts that enclose tiny yellow flowers. The bracts fade to yellow in autumn.
When you’ve got the space, go for height, volume and beautiful, bold colours with orange griffith spurge (E. griffithii) and limey swamp spurge (E. palustris). Griffith spurge thrives in a moist but well-drained soil.
You might also like:
How to make a vertical succulent garden
8 plants that thrive in full shade
Johanna and Charlie visit a Palm Springs-inspired home and garden
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
