2,000 species of this perennial offer an array of choices.
Showy modified leaves (called bracts) provide visual interest.
Most are green, but other colors are available, too.
Credit: Helen Norman
This tough and vigorous grower quickly fills a garden space.
It grows in just about any environment and is considered a weed in many areas.
Most spurge plants are spread by underground rhizomes, creating dense mats of foliage.
Credit: Helen Norman
This makes it agreat option for a ground coveror a filler between taller plants.
It can also make it a bully because it chokes out smaller plants.
Many spurge species are invasive.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Some are even banned by different states.
Although spurge plants are available online,check with your statebefore adding them to your garden.
These desert plants thrive in well-draining beds that receive full sun.
Credit: Andy Lyons
They need at least six hours of sun daily.
Don’t over-enrich the soil; spurges tend to prefer only moderate fertility.
Some types are like succulents and can be treated like cacti.
Credit: Edward Gohlich
Temperature and Humidity
Most spurges enjoy the heat and prefer daytime temperatures in the 80s.
They do best in areas with low to average humidity.
Fertilizer
Spurge requires almost no fertilizer for normal growth and performance, even in poor soils.
Credit: Helen Norman
If the lower leaves of the plant turn yellow, this indicates a nutrient deficiency.
In that case, fertilize with a balancedliquid fertilizer at half strengthevery several months.
Wear gloves when pruning the plants to avoid contact with the toxic sap.
Credit: Denny Schrock
How to Propagate Spurge
Spurges can bepropagated from root cuttingsor divisions of the mother plant.
Cuttings from somebut not allspurges can be rooted in water.
The foliage colors of spurge are diverse, with blue, green, burgundy, and variegated options.
Credit: Stephen Cridland
‘Blue Haze’ thrives in Zones 7-9.
‘Bonfire’ Spurge
Euphorbia’Bonfire' shows offrich maroon foliagefrom spring to fall.
In spring, it also bears clusters of chartreuse flowers.
Credit: Justin Hancock
It grows 1 foot tall and wide.
‘Bonfire’ is hardy in Zones 5-9.
In fall, the foliage turns brilliant red, maroon, and orange.
Credit: Stephen Cridland
It grows 12 to 20 inches tall and is hardy in Zones 3-10.
It produces chartreuse bracts, which age to red.
Cypress spurge thrives in Zones 4-8.
Credit: Matthew Benson
Excalibur Spurge
Euphorbia’Froeup’ is sometimes called Excalibur.
Excalibur is hardy in Zones 5-8.
The flowers, which appear in spring, are cream with green centers.
Credit: Jay Wilde
‘Glacier Blue’ thrives in Zones 7-10.
Griffith’s Spurge
Euphorbia griffithiihas green foliage with a purplish-red tinge; it turns orange-red in fall.
It producessmall yellow flowerssurrounded by showy orange-red bracts on plants up to 3 feet tall.
Credit: Jay Wilde
Griffith’s spurge is hardy in Zones 4-9.
Helena’s Blush Spurge
Euphorbia amygdaloides’Helena’s Blush' (syn.
‘Inneuphhel’) bears green foliage edged in white and pink or chartreuse-variegated bracts.
Credit: Jeff McNamara
It grows 20 inches tall and is often grown as an annual in Zones 6-9.
Hybrid Spurge
Euphorbiaxmartiniiis a shrubby plant 3 feet tall with reddish-purple leaves.
It bears chartreuse bracts (petals) with small red flowers and is hardy in Zones 7-10.
‘Lacey’ Cushion Spurge
Euphorbia polychroma’Lacey' is a selection with creamy-white edges on its leaves.
‘Lacey’ cushion spurge thrives in Zones 3-10.
There are several different kinds of phlox.
Garden and meadow phlox produce large panicles of fragrant flowers in a wide assortment of colors.
They add height, heft, and charm to a border.
Phlox need ample moist soil for the best overall health.
Penstemon
ThisNorth American native planthas a home in nearly every garden with flowers that hummingbirds love.
Long blooming with brilliantly colored, tubular flowers, penstemonsironicallyhave been a staple in European gardens for decades.
There are many different penstemon types.
The leaves are lance-shaped or oval, sometimes purple-red as in ‘Husker Red’.
Some Western species needoutstanding drainageto dry conditions and won’t thrive during wet weather.
However, many thrive in a wide variety of conditions.
Just be sure to provide excellent drainage and mulch in areas where a key in is marginally hardy.
Flower panicles may reach 12 feet tall in some selections with red or yellow tubular flowers.
Blooms only appear in mild climates, where theyattract many species of birds.
If space is limited, check out dwarf forms.
Frequently Asked Questions
The toxic sap keeps deer and rabbits at a distance.
Spurge plants arecritically important for monarch butterfliesas they return in early spring.
They also attract other butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees.
According toPoison Control, remove any contaminated clothing and gently wash the exposed skin with soap and water.
Rinsing with water alone will not remove the sap from the skin.
Contact a medical professional for more assistance.
National Capital Poison Center
Leafy Spurge.
Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board
