MEDITERRANEAN SPURGE IS IDEAL FOR HOT, DRY SPOTS – IT’S DROUGHT-TOLERANT AND THE ACID GREEN WILL ENERGISE A BLEACHED, DRY GARDEN.
1 SOLAR-POWERED ELECTRIC!
The fabulous limey flower heads of the Mediterranean spurge (Euphorbia characias ssp wulfenii) launch themselves from their woody stems like rockets during spring and summer – a spectacular garden feature sure to turn heads!
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.
DIG THE DIVERSITY
Many euphorbias are also known as spurge, but this family of unusual-looking succulents is as diverse as you can get.
The most familiar spurge is Euphorbia characias with its fresh, bluish-green foliage, topped by domes of tiny, limey flowers in spring and summer.
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.
The pretty snowflake (E. leucocephala) is a small tree that produces fragrant white flowers with showy white bracts from April to July.
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.
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.
This story is from the January 2022 edition of Better Homes & Gardens Australia.
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This story is from the January 2022 edition of Better Homes & Gardens Australia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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