Euphorbia polychroma

Euphorbia polychroma: Chartreuse Fireworks to Kick Off Spring

A perfectly round cushion of bright chartreuse in spring, like somebody set a giant highlighter down in the border. Then in fall it turns red and orange, just to make a point. LOUD IN SPRING, LOUDER IN FALL.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Euphorbia polychroma (syn. E. epithymoides)
• Common Name: Cushion Spurge
• Height: 30–45 cm (12–18 in)
• Spread: 45–60 cm (18–24 in)
• Flowers: Bright chartreuse to golden-yellow bracts surrounding tiny true flowers, in rounded clusters
• Bloom Time: Mid to late spring (April to May)
• Foliage: Mid-green, narrow leaves on a dense, rounded mound, often turning red and orange in fall
• Features: Rabbit resistant

Where to Plant: Use it at the front of a border, along a sunny path, in a rock garden or in a dry bed. The milky sap can irritate skin and eyes, so site it away from where small children play.

Companion Plants: Iris 'Butter and Sugar' opens bicolour flowers at 65 to 70 cm in May and June, a soft echo of the yellow cushions. Astrantia 'Star of Billion' adds white pincushion flowers from June to August. Along the edge, Aubrieta 'Rock On Blue' flowers blue from April to June, right alongside the spurge. This spring-focused trio is happy in sun or part sun.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun or light shade in well-drained, average soil. It handles dry, poor and rocky soils once established, but it dislikes soggy ground, especially in winter. Water through the first season. After flowering, a light trim keeps the mound tight. Cut it back in late fall or early spring. It's long-lived and doesn't like being moved, so divide only when necessary, in spring, wearing gloves.

History: Cushion spurge is native to the open woods and rocky ground of Europe, and polychroma means many-coloured, a nod to its yellow spring bracts and colourful fall leaves. Botanists now usually call it Euphorbia epithymoides, but it is still widely sold as E. polychroma.

Final Thoughts: Early pollinators get a snack, and the deer and rabbits get nothing. PLANT IT AND LET IT DO THE HIGHLIGHTING.