Euphorbia Species, Mediterranean Spurge

I’ve had amazing success with Euphorbia characias ‘wulfenii’ in Salt Lake City, Utah (zone 7b). It has survived 7 F in a really bad...Read More winter we had in 2013, and didn’t show any damage at all. It even did pretty good with the snowfall we had. I can confidently say this species of Euphorbia is hardy to atleast zone 7, most likely 7a because of the lack of damage it had at 7 F. It has bloomed very heavily every year since I’ve put it in the ground, and grown pretty large. This is a beautiful evergreen addition to Mediterranean/ desert Southwest style gardens, and looks amazing with Agaves and Yuccas. It has absolutely thrived in temperatures in access of 110 and I only water it deeply once a month. Definitely a must have for gardeners in the desert southwest and west coast!

This is a serious wild land pest. Your plants can invade into wild lands because birds and rodents spread the seed.
Here's a post ...Read Morefrom Portland Oregon.

http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2014/11/invasive_spur...

Better not to encourage nurseries to carry it.

A mainstay of fine British gardens. A woody-based herbaceous perennial with great garden presence. Short-lived, but easily replaced by se...Read Morelf-sown seedlings.

Flowering stems decline after going to seed, and should be cut off at the base before seeding if self-sown seedlings are not wanted.

Does well in Mediterranean climates. Hardy in Z7, it suffers in the hot humid summers of the southeastern US. Drought tolerant, but does best with occasional summer watering. Requires sharp drainage---wet soil in winter can be fatal.

Deer-resistant, it tolerates salt and air pollution as well as drought.

The milky sap can cause a bad rash in some people. If you get it in your eye it can cause blindness.

This subspecies differs from the species in its smaller habit (2-3' tall, 18-24" wide), its yellower flowers with purple glands, and its larger leaves.

This species has been reported to have naturalized in only one US county, and is not ecologically invasive. (BONAP) It is a clump-former that does not spread thuggishly in the garden, but it can self-sow immoderately in some gardens.

Usually called by its botanical name. The USDA calls it "Albanian spurge".

mlml's erroneous comment above is about an unrelated plant, spurge laurel (Daphne laureola).

Sue-one has sent me seeds a few years ago and since then it makes a show every spring in my garden with tulips and daffodils. But also in...Read More other seasons it is handsome because it stays wintergreen and it has a perfect round habit. I cut the stems that have flowered after flowering, also to prevent it to seed around to much. By that it is not a problem to have it in my garden. I wait with cutting the stems as long as possible, just at the moment the seeds have ripened. Why? Because it still looks so handsome until that time comes. Seedlings are easy to pick up to remove, to plant elsewhere or to give away...because in flower it really is a show stopper. Its flowerheads are really heads, bigger than a football and a feast for the bees. If the shrub gets a little tatty after 5 or 6 years I simply replace it by picking up a few seedlings and plant them together at the same spot. And voila..in two years it grows into a wonderful new and same shrub.