Euphoric about a euphorbia
This time of year, everyone can grow euphorbias, even those of us on the Midwest鈥檚 frozen tundra.
Yes, that bright red poinsettia in your living room is 鈥� Euphorbia pulcherrima to be precise.
Colorful euphorbias for the garden
But several euphorbias (also known as spurges) are splendiferous landscape plants. I especially like Great Dixter, Christopher Lloyd鈥檚 . I can鈥檛 grow it, though.
Another stunner: the cheery, . I can鈥檛 grow it either -- or any of the many other intensely hued spurges.
Some that don't work in my garden
What euphorbias that will actually survive here in Iowa are either:
1) Thuggish, like the bluish .
2) Undependable, like , which disappears and then shows up unannounced in spots all over the garden.
3) Or pedestrian, like the blue-gray , which rarely flowers in my clime, and , which in my garden never seems to attain the yellow highlights it is grown for. It just sits there.
It seems the only attractive euphorbia I can grow is Jessie (pictured), which is tall and yellow 鈥� two features I highly admire in a landscape perennial.
But before I sing her praises too loudly, a caution: Jessie likes her elbow room, often either crowding out or flopping over onto flowers or lawn.
But that buttery-yellow color, tinged with tangerine 鈥� as with some gardeners, with some plants you tend to overlook their little faults.
What else I鈥檓 into this week: !
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Craig Summers Black, The Transplanted Gardener, is an award-winning garden writer and photographer who blogs regularly at Diggin' it. You can read more of what he's written by clicking here. You may also follow Craig鈥檚 further adventures in gardening, music, and rural life on .
