With over 2000 different types to choose, there is bound to be one of these fantastic, architectural plants that’s just right for your climate, soil and taste (please don’t eat them, we meant taste as in style!).
Here we pick 10 euphorbias we can recommend, although we’ve included some pros and cons for you to think about too!
A really gorgeous euphorbia with lime-green leaves and very early flowers in an attractive orangey-brown. Growing to around four or five foot tall and commonly known as the honey spurge, the flowers fill the air around with a warm honey scent for several weeks. Native to the Canaries and Madeira it needs a sunny, sheltered position.
- Very attractive foliage, lime-green with a pale mid-rib
- Honey scented flowers are a real talking point
- Will self seed freely when happy with exploding seed capsules on hot summer days
- Rated only H3 by the RHS its only reliably hardy down to -5, but it can rally if cut back
Rightly popular, this Mediterranean species makes an impressive architectural statement in the garden. Huge heads of flowers are produced for several months from early spring onwards. The only maintenance it needs is the removal of the flowering stems in mid-summer once they start to look a bit tatty.
- Adds heft and style to the spring and early summer garden
- Hardier than many other large euphorbias
- Evergreen so makes an impact year round
- Needs space to show off its true form
This euphorbia is genius. It takes all the glamour of its original, much bigger Mediterranean species but packages it into a smaller, sturdier frame. The flowering heads are of a vivid lime-green and burst into life in early March. Its said to be slightly tender so choose a warm sheltered spot for it.
- Compact size rarely exceeding three foot in height
- Produces masses of flowering heads
- Very good as a repeated theme plant dotted around a spring garden
If your site is moisture retentive then this is the ideal euphorbia for you. Otherwise known as the marsh spurge, Euphorbia palustris revels in damp soils. Its deciduous so dies down in winter, but each spring throws up vigorous stems topped with sparkling yellow flowers. The damper the soil, the taller it grows, and can reach up to five foot tall. A real eye-catcher beloved by pollinators.
- Very hardy and copes with wet ground
- Lovely contrast between deep green foliage and yellow flowers
- Clump-forming so not invasive
- Can cope with drier situations but won't grow as tall
This tough native euphorbia is a great solution to those tricky sites under hedges and trees which suffer from both shade and dry impoverished soil. Spreading by underground suckers its red flushed foliage seems to revel in these conditions and its beautiful chartreuse flowers in spring can really light up these dark sites. Awarded an AGM by the RHS.
- Vigorous, healthy-looking foliage and flowers in rich greens and reds
- Copes with adverse sites
- Unfussy over soil type
- Has a wandering rootstock so could be invasive
Quite unlike any other euphorbia, this is a gentle woodland species rarely growing more than a foot tall. Happiest in part shade, it is deciduous with fresh new purple-flushed leaves growing fresh each spring, followed by yellow flowers. Its a perfect foil to early primroses and dogs-tooth violet.
- A pretty mix of vivid colours
- Very long-lived
- Its nodding purple foliage sets off other spring bulbs and flowers
- Deciduous, so no foliage in winter.
This is a small, prostrate, characterful euphorbia for a trough, rockery or gravel garden. Its spikey glaucous foliage looks good all year round with the vivid mustard-coloured flowers appearing in spring, lasting for several months and taking on a slightly pink hue as they age. Happiest in full sun and well-drained soil.
- A small plant with a big personality
- Drought and slug resistant
- Will trail nicely over the edge of a trough
- Stems are quite brittle and easily broken off
The' x' in Euphorbia x martini indicates it is a cross between Euphorbia characias and our native Euphorbia amygdaloides and as such makes a very satisfactory ,sturdy and often colourful plant. The selection 'Ascot Rainbow' definitely lives up to its name with gold and green variegated that's tinged pink in colder weather. Flowers are pale green with a red eye. For those that like a euphorbia with a wider colour palette then this is definitely the one to go for!
- Grows to about two feet tall in a neat mound.
- Evergreen so year round interest
- Very hardy
- Prefers a sheltered site
'Ascot Petite' is a dwarf euphorbia perfect for pots or front of the border. With all of the attributes of its taller cousin 'Ascot Rainbow', this new smaller edition is evergreen, with flashes of gold and red in its foliage. Beautiful yellow flowers cover the plant in spring. Its only about a foot tall, drought tolerant and just perfect for a year round pot.
- Very hardy (down to -15)
- Happy in a pot or trough
- Lovely colour range in flowers and foliage
- Not happy in full shade
The unusual colouring in this variegated euphorbia really makes it stand out from the crowd. Its narrow, cream-edged glaucous leaves are topped with creamy flowers with a green eye in spring and summer. At only three foot tall, it is sturdier than some other variegated euphorbias, and does best in full sun.
- A real talking point in your garden.
- Fits in well with pale or white colour co-ordinated planting schemes
- H4 hardiness so may not suit colder gardens
You may also be interested in:
