Photo courtesy of Mary Henry
With the floral explosion of May, garden columns are filled with examples of the magnificence of spring color. I’m all for it. Writers also like to proclaim the importance of our plethora of greens which form a background for that color.
But there are a tiny few greens that vibrate as fiercely as any red, yellow or purple: Euphorbia wulfenii is one of them. This splendid shrub-like perennial, filed with fleshy, upward reaching stems lined with blue-green leaves, bursts into bloom in the middle of March and will hold its splendor well into June. The dense flower stalks have a plump conical shape in eye-popping chartreuse. The dome of foliage can reach 4 feet in height with an equal spread and will anchor any bed or bright corner of the garden year around. Once planted and properly maintained, you’ll have this plant for decades, if not a life time.
This Euphorbia is part of a genus of over 1,600 noteworthy plants: perennials, annuals, biennials, evergreen and deciduous shrubs and trees. Poinsettia (E. pulcherrima) is a cousin, as is the freely self-sowing and much loved annual, Snow-on-the-Mountain (E. marginata). The electric orange flowering E. griffithii, with its copper colored leaves is also in the family. All are worth considering. As is too often the case, horticultural nomenclature can be inconsistent and tricky. Common names can be maddeningly inaccurate. E. wulfenii is sometimes listed as E characias wulfenii, other times as E, veneta. Some times you’ll see it labeled as spurge. Stick with E. wulfenii, you’ll find your plant.
Native to the Dalmatian Coast and Montenegro, E. wulfenii, thrives in exposure to full sun. It tolerates hot dry spells, doing best in rich, well-drained soil. The plant in this photograph has flourished for years on a gentle, west-facing slope, unobstructed to the south. In late winter it gets a feeding with 12-12-12 sprinkled around its root system. In the most scorching weather, it is irrigated at the base.
Photo courtesy of Mary HenryWhen the flower heads turn to seed in late June it is time to cut back, to the ground, the stalks they bloom on. New shoots will quickly sprout up and grow, becoming an excellent background plant or garden focal point for the remainder of the year.
It is very important to note that most Euphorbias produce a white sap of near glue consistency. You may have noticed this if you’ve ever cut a Poinsettia bloom. This sap can cause dermatitis in some people, ranging from an irritating rash to a severe allergic reaction. Be very careful when you cut the spent stems back. Wear gloves, long sleeves and even glasses, to protect your eyes from even the slightest splash of sap. To some, the sap is akin to poison ivy or poison oak. In primitive cultures, the sap was sometimes used on arrow and spear tips to slow or stupefy the hunted game. And for that reason, Euphorbia should never be planted next to a garden water feature which is home to fish. A broken branch, exuding its sap in the water, can kill the whole school.
With this important cautionary news clearly stated and constantly considered, it is fair to say that E. wulfenii is a marvelous plant, well worth growing. You’ll find it in one-gallon cans in nurseries now, to be set out immediately.
Many years ago, I pointed this plant out to my toddler son. My goal was for him to see memorable plants and hear botanical names attached to them. I pointed and slowly said, “You-for-be-a wolf-en-eye.” He stared at it for a moment, pointed, and then shouted out, “Wizard of Oz!”
Now, whenever I see this plant I cannot get his joyful comment, or The Yellow Brick Road, out of my mind. And while you may not have a Dorothy, a Toto, a Scarecrow, Tin Man or Cowardly Lion in your life, put this plant in a sunny spot and you’ll always be dancing as if you’re headed to the Merry Old Land and the Emerald City.