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Hardy Euphorbias - Part 1 - Page 4

© Marge Talt

I think this was the last vestige of my E. c. wulfenii, as I did not find any identifiable ones this year. While mine always had larger heads of bloom than the species, I never have obtained the massive, solid looking flower heads that I have seen on this subspecies in the UK.

This may be due to my growing them in less than full sun and in essentially clay based soil. They are not supposed to like clay. Beth Chatto grows them in her dry garden on almost pure gravel soil amended. They definitely do not like soggy soil and those who have put themselves in damper spots simply die out during wet summers. But, in my climate, they grow quite well with only a couple of hours of sun a day.

The basic visual difference between wulfenii and the species is that the flowers are a brighter yellow and the "eyes" are not black. You can see what's been described as their "sinister" black eye in this detail of the species flower. Actually, I don't find them sinister at all; rather interesting, instead. I have noted, too, that some plants of the species have relatively long, narrow flower heads as opposed to more globular brushes.

One other thing about these plant's habits - the new foliage stands smartly at attention, but as the flower stems develop, they start to arch out and twist and curve. I have yet to be able to devise a method of keeping them bolt upright. This habit isn't ugly or anything, but it does mean that the flowers tend to prop themselves on neighbors and sprawl into more than their allotted space. Just keep this in mind when you look at your border and think one of these plants can occupy that rather small bare spot.

This is a good example of this species' promiscuousness in the garden. This plant seems to be a cross between the species and wulfenii in form, flower head size and "eye" color. The flower heads are larger than E. characias characias; the eyes are brown, not black, but also not the yellowy-green of wulfenii.

My reading on the species indicates that they cross so freely it is difficult to obtain a pure species or subspecies, so I am not even certain that I started out with pure strains in the first place. However, if you aren't absolutely picky about pure strains, all of them are lovely plants who will make an architectural statement in your garden.

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