EUPHORBIA
The genus is one of the most fascinating and diverse of all plant families. It includes almost 8,000 genera – many of them succulents, as well as the poinsettia and Hevea brasiliensis, the commercial source of rubber.
As a general rule, euphorbias with green leaves prefer some shade while those with glaucous leaves relish a hot, sunny position in free-draining soil. As spring progresses, the chartreuse f lowers of the sun-loving low grower . fade to pink, and the serpentine stems and spiralling waxy blue leaves become a focal point. The horticulturist Graham Stuart Thomas was highly enamoured with this plant describing it as a must-have ‘for border fronts,. ‘Fens Ruby’, which emerges maroon on maroon stems and has lime-green f lowerheads, makes it a pleasing, contrasting companion. However, the most outstanding glaucous foliage of all is found in . ‘Blue Haze’, which forms a mound of leaves topped with masses of lime-green inf lorescences from early spring to summer. But if blue-grey does not appeal, there are alternatives in variegated . x ‘Ascot Rainbow’ or deep-purple . Blackbird (= ‘Nothowlee’), whose bright-green spring f lowers create an eye-catching contrast with its foliage.
