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christinmk

Euphorbias

The Euphorbia family is one of the most diverse in the plant world. Euphorbias range from cold hardy perennials, annuals, tropicals, succulents, shrubs, to trees! Poinsettias are in the Euphorbia family. They are commonly called "Spurges" because they were once used as purgatives.

Personally, I love Euphorbias. I have only three kinds, but would have more if I had the space. I can't tell you how difficult it is to see all those awesome Spurges in the mags that are not hardy here! I just love the look of them.

I have E. amygdaioides robbiae, which a freind gave me. I did not know what the species were when I got it, so it took some searching before I found it. It is a short evergreen/semi-evergreen groundcover. It spread by seeds and roots. It doesn't spread so much here, maybe because it is colder here. I like its dark green, shiny leaves!

Euphorbia dulcis 'Chameleon'. Certainly isn't a favorite. The foliage is a pretty reddish color, but the flower heads are not very noticeable and do not last long.

I LOVE my E. polychroma! It has bright greenish-yellow tops that last for a very long time. Very pretty paired with Blue Oat Grass.

I saw another Euphorbia at the store today called 'Tiny Tim'. I think I may get it sometime.

I really enjoy chatting about individual plants here; its fun to hear what everyone grows. So what kinds of Euphorbia do you grow?

Here is a link to google images of Euphorbia. Some of them are wild!

CMK

Here is a link that might be useful: So many Euphorbias!

Comments (15)

  • 17 years ago

    Christin,

    COOL! I love them too.

    Here is my link:

    Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Cacti, Euphorbias and Succulents

  • 17 years ago

    I would love to see your Euphorbia pics Annie, but your Photobucket page says it needs a password...
    Here are mine:
    E. amygdaioides robbiae
    {{gwi:647102}}

    E. polychroma (the short yellow and green plant) in the patio garden paired with Blue Oat GrassHelictotrichom sempervirens). I love how they look together; they are good textures. Sorry, this is last year's pic.
    {{gwi:647105}}
    CMK

  • 17 years ago

    CMK,
    Ooops. Sorry.
    Just type in "guest2"

    Your Euphorbias and your garden is perfectly lovely!
    Great combinations of color and textures.

    Alas, I lost some of my Phorbs in the power outage last winter. My biggest sorrow is losing the African Milk Trees. Those were hard to find and rare in most people's collections. I hope to get another start from someone someday. It was already four feet tall when I got it and the other Euphorbia, similar, was three feet tall.

    Annie

  • 17 years ago

    Two that self sow in my garden include donkey tail spurge and euphorbia characias subspecies wulfenii. They are in brilliant bloom right now with their limey green flowers.

    {{gwi:647108}}

    {{gwi:647111}}

  • 17 years ago

    -Annie, sorry about your Euphorbias. :-(
    -nckvilledudes, I love that E. characias x wulfenii! It looks very nice with the tree in back (redbud?).
    CMK

  • 17 years ago

    Christi, spot on. It is a redbud.

  • 17 years ago

    nckvilledudes,

    What kind of shrub or small tree are making those long catkins?
    Very nice!

    sweetannie4u

  • 17 years ago

    Annie that is a contorted filbert or Henry Lauders walking stick.

  • 17 years ago

    I *love* euphorbias! they are one of the first to bloom in my garden and *nothing* will eat them.

    here's a pix of one of my favs in the garden.

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • 17 years ago

    Thanx to this winter, almost no wulfeniis in my garden anymore. My 6'x6' wulfeniis totaly decimated. From about 20, I have just 3 still alive but not blooming this year. I pulled all the rest out. The 3 live ones will get cut back in hopes they will shoot out again.

    The donkeytails also rather ragged looking. Plenty of seedlings of both everywhere though. I used to think I only lived to see those 2 in glory every spring. I'm still alive though they aren't in any glory... Lots of empty spaces for new plants!

  • 17 years ago

    I have E. rigida and E. dean's Choice ( a mound of a million little heads of flowers).I just got the Deans Choice. I hope it makes it through the summer. Unfortunately our heat and drought kills most Euphorbias. I try to buy my Euphorbias from NC because then I know they can take Texas's heat and humidity.

  • 17 years ago

    Giardinierven, I sometimes lose some of my euphorbia characias wulfenii as well, normally during the winter though. Since they reseed like mad, I always have new babies coming up. Mine have never gotten 6 X 6 before however. The first time I ever saw this plant it was in one of the first gardening books I ever bought many years ago. It was a display in the desert and had huge specimens of it. That was when I knew I had to try and grow that variety.

    Weird wantonamara, as I always think of most euphorbias as being extremely drought tolerant plants, once establised anyways. Mine never get watered including the seedlings that come up and they do well here,even the past two summers where we have had extreme drought conditions and higher heat temps for extended periods of time. I haven't tried growing the varieties you mentioned however and I am sure Texas heat is much worse than what we have.

  • 17 years ago

    We have native Euphorbias here in Oklahoma.
    Here are a few:

    * Snow on the Mountain (Bishops Weed)- http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/8359/

    * Wild Poinsettia (Euphorbia heterophylla)- http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/213604/

    * Euphorbia amygdaloides - little green circular bracts; similar to yours posted above.

    * Euphorbia davidii Sublis - similar to the poinsettia but no red color - simpler, narrower bracts

    * many more- but the top two are my favorites.

    Euphorbias (Spurge) are the bane to dairy farmers - makes the milk taste nasty in the Spring.

    Really pretty though. I let a few of the Poinsettias grow every year. Snow on the Mountain doesn't grow on my property, but it does a few miles from here.

    I mostly grow the cactus type Euphorbias.

    ~ Annie

  • 17 years ago

    WE get strong heat, hummidity and drought and crappy soil. Only a few Euphorbias can take it. E. wolfenii and all it's relatives will not make it here that I have seen (damn it). I might still try them anyway. A friend whoi moved here from LA tried in downtown Austin. And they burned up. They even burned up in the shade. Her place is a lot friendlier than my digs. Myresintes, rigida, Snow on the mountain and the wild Euphorbias will. I am praying that Deans choice will. I have seen others in the nurseries but I haven't seen them in other peoples gardens. Oklahoma has better soil and I think their nights are cooler than Texas nights. I have found that that is a huge control of what plants make it.

  • 17 years ago

    I have a few, but lost some this winter, the ones I still have are E. Redwing, E. Waleuphrud Rudolph, E. amygdaloides, E. x martinii and E. Fen's Ruby and another similar only it has red bracts, the last two are thought to be invasive in some places but I have no trouble keeping them under control. Mine are planted in a gravel walkway against a rock wall.

    Annette

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