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Euphorbia characias
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Euphorbia
Species: characias
Common Name: Spurge
Euphorbia characias
The architectural structure of this small evergreen shrub is shamelessly appealing. Great spires of luminous lime green flowers appear in early spring and keep going right through to early summer. These limey cylinders thrust up to about a meter or so from the ground, their bases fringed with narrow blue-green foliage.
Euphorbias as a group like a wide range of soil conditions but Euphorbia characias sits firmly amongst those that like fast drainage and plenty of sunshine. This is a plant that likes gravel gardens and can tolerate extended periods of drought.
The lime green flowers of of Euphorbia characias make it an ideal bridging colour between hot and cool colours.
I find Euphorbia characias sits happily amidst bright reds and yellows whist performing equally as well surrounded by softer blues and shades of purple.
Together with the relatively long flowering time and architectural habit this makes Euphorbia characias a failsafe and reliable regular in my gardens.
Once flowering is over the stems of Euphorbia characias remain like skeletons of their former glory and these are best cut out. A pair of gloves is required for this prunning as Euphorbias have a sticky white sap that will adhere dust and grim to the skin for several days and is an irritant to delicate skin types.
Euphorbia characias at a glance
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