Euphorbia Euphoria

Exciting plants to add to your tulips and daffs this spring

Diversity of Euphorbias

There is a group of plants that make wonderful additions to the spring display, even though their most famous cousin is the darling of Christmas. The Euphorbia family (also known as the Spurge family) does include the Poinsettia of Christmas fame, who is native to Mexico and therefore needs quite a bit of coddling in hot greenhouses through the colder months to make her debut on the Christmas table.

But while she takes all the heat, she has many cousins that are very comfortable out in the cold. These hardier members of the Euphorbia family make wonderful additions to the spring garden each year, without any of the work of their prima donna cousin.

(In addition to Poinsettia Euphorbia pulcherrima, in North America we also have the native Wax plant Spurge, which is indigenous to Texas and Mexico, and Snow-on-the-Mountain, which is widespread over the continent.)

Natural planting partners

Most of the hardy, flowering garden plants in the family Euphorbiaceae are native to locations in Europe, Turkey, and the Caucasus. They are excellent growers in the garden when planted in well-drained soils, and many can also take a lot of cold in winter.