I don't remember planting this in my flower container and I don't know what it is. It's just growing tall. Any ideas please?
Hmmm, I did a Google search. Could it be this one? Euphorbia Efanthia? http://images.google.com/imgres?img...ages?q=EUPHORBIA&start=216&ndsp=18&hl=en&sa=N
How do I look after this perennial over the winter months. Can I remove it from the pot and plant it in the ground? Do I water it during the winter months?
Garden center I visited yesterday had several similar forms on display in one section of tables, most of them belonging to E. x martinii. A hardy perennial most winters USDA 8 or equivalent. However, plants in pots are more vulnerable to cold than the same kinds would be in the ground. Most of the rest of your container planting definitely is summer annuals that will die when hard frosts become regular.
Thanks Ron, Should I remove it from the pot and plant it into the ground? It looks like it might grow into a bushy shrub? Does it? Yep, you are right. All the other plants I have in the container are annuals. Wooohoo-I just found the little tag that comes with the plant when you purchase it. This is what it says.... PW (Proven Winners) Perennials "Efanthia" - Euphorbia amygdaloides hybrid. It also says "Wood Spurge" Height: 14-20" It says to plant it in containers and beds. It pays to save these tags.
E. x martinii is from a crossing of E. characias and E. amygdaloides. Surfing 'Efanthia' will probably give you targeted hits from which you can get an idea of the character of the plant, including its expected environmental parameters and what you might then like to do with it. You could probably either add other plants around the euphorbia for winter effect or dump the whole pot out, clean it and put it in storage for the winter. If the pot itself has not been treated to resist cracking or splitting during frost it will have to be cleaned and put in storage anyway. If it is a type of material that needs to be sealed you will have to clean and dry it thoroughly in a sufficiently warm and dry area before applying sealant. The problem is the container material absorbing water which then freezes and expands during cold weather, eventually exploding the container apart.
Thanks again Ron for all your help. It is a glazed ceramic pot and I agree that it would probably break if it got to cold. I think I'll just clean the whole thing out, wash it real good and put it away for next spring. I'll do some more googling for 'Efanthia' and learn more about its character and perimeters like you say. It's so much fun learning about all my plants. Thanks Ron.
I have Cushion Spurge in my garden. It does great without any winter protection. I think it would be best to save your pot, dig out the plant and put it in your garden. When it gets to tall, I cut it back by half and it bounces back. Marric
The plants get to be about 12-15" here but I've seen them a bit bigger in warmer climates. When cutting them back, make sure you wear a pair of gloves - I buy a box of latex gloves (painters gloves from home hardware) and they come in handy for certain plants. The plant also reseeds easily so you may find a lot of 'babies' everywhere. I like the plant (especially the chartreuse flowers in spring) so I don't mind. To many and they are easy to pull out. marric
Hi Marric, Thanks for your reply. Yes, I was reading about the latex sap that they ooze so I'm being careful to wear gloves. Thanks for that little reminder. I've already dug them out already this morning and planted them in a nice spot in my backyard. Thanks again Marric!
