32 Cottage Gardens
April 9, 2021
34 Orchard Nursery
May 7, 2021
Putting the "B" in Euphoria
M y #4 favorite plant, the Euphorbia, has come into blossoming season with flower stalks uncurling to show off their beauty. All Euphorbias are show stoppers, but Euphorbia characias 'Dwarf'—Aunt Patti and I each bought one at Annie's years ago—gets top billing in my book.
Euphorbia characias ‘Dwarf’
All Euphorbias are evergreen. In February and March, flower stalks that grow taller than the foliage appear and last well into mid-summer. Their blossoms are excellent as cut flowers too, but be careful of the sap which can irritate the skin. This sap is a bonus though for gardeners. It makes Euphorbias deer resistant! That is the main reason I began collecting these plants from way back.
Not all Euphorbia varieties reseed themselves as prolifically as 'Dwarf' does. If you do not want volunteers popping up, you must deadhead them by cutting down the flower stalks all the way to the ground before they start drying out in summer. If you don't, you will be picking out little sprouts by hand for years to come.
Once you’ve cut the flower stalks, you will see new foliage growth ready to come forth. Some people cut the stalks and the entire plant down to the ground. I don’t know why they do this, and don’t bother asking me to explain what seems irrational.
In my blog post, Bang-For-Your-Buck Plants, I highlighted Euphorbia ‘Blackbird’ and ‘Tasmanian Tiger.' Did you run out and buy them?! If you didn’t, you are now missing out on a fine spring and summer show.
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Euphorbia ‘Blackbird’
Chamaerops humilis (European Fan Palm), Lomandra longifolia ‘Platinum Beauty’
And here are 2 plants I strategically placed together because they compliment one another well. So pretty.
FROM LEFT: Anigozanthos ‘Bush Tango’ (Bush Tango Kangaroo Paw), Euphorbia x martinii ‘Ascot Rainbow’
Pictured below is a wider view of the landscape in the 2 photos above. I designed and installed it a year ago for a client. Now at one year, it has turned out exactly how I envisioned—even better. All you have to do is choose the right evergreen plants—especially Euphorbias—and violá, you can amaze yourself too!
Have a look at my Euphorbia 'Glacier Blue' and its Blue Lady companion that traveled home with us from Mexico.
Euphorbia ‘Glacier Blue’
It does not matter what city, state or country I am in. If I find something I want for house or garden—and have a way to get it home—I will!
Euphorbia milii (Crown of Thorns) and ain’t that the truth!!!
Crown of Thorns—used as a nice houseplant too—grows like a shrubby leafy and very thorny succulent. Its flowers come in pink, coral, purple, and fuschia. When designing, I like to add it to a succulent garden, or a dry garden, for a pop of color. Frost is not its friend, so cover it when needed.
Euphorbia myrsinites (Creeping Spurge)
It's not called Creeping Spurge for nothing! If you have one, you will have thousands. Seriously. (A container helps.) It grows 6 to 8-inches tall and trails to about 1-foot wide.
Now here's 'Tiny Tim' at 2 stages of its blooming season. Hard to believe it's the same plant, but trust me. I always tell the truth.
Euphorbia x martinii 'Tiny Tim' curling open and full bloom.
I bought 'Tiny Tim' a few years back in a 4-inch pot, and now look. It is nice and tidy at 18-inches tall and wide. (Should call it Tidy Tim...)
Want a groundcover plant? Below is a Euphorbia that makes an excellent one.
Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae (Robb’s Spurge)
Robb's Spurge is not at all invasive. Some disagree, but all you do is just pluck out the babies that spring up in places they shouldn't. There's nothing like a long-lasting sea of chartreuse flowers if you want one. And why wouldn't you!?
Now here's a variety to fascinate you...
Euphorbia susannae ‘Marloth’ (Suzanne’s Spurge)
I cannot remember—a very rare occurrence—the name of the nursery where I bought my Marloth. (Fitting name, don't you think?) It was on one of our 5-day trips, and I remember buying it just for the heck of it because I figured I would probably end up killing the thing.
I brought it home and put it in one of my many empty violet cache pots that I no longer need because all my violets are dead, lol. I placed it on my dining room turntable where it's been living Happily Ever After!
One day I was plant shopping for a client when—somehow!—look what jumped into my cart and asked to be taken home...
Euphorbia flanaganii and red metal succulents from Desert Steel—a Christmas present to myself.
Well I couldn’t resist. And, Readers, that explains how most of my plants wind up in my landscape. They ask me...and I say "yes, yes, yes!!!!"
Photos courtesy Sheri Lynn Burke. All rights reserved.
