Euphorbia polychroma Variegata - Spurge

The Euphorbia polychroma 'Variegata' is a very pretty selection of polychrome spurge, with a grey-green-blue foliage strongly margined with cream. The plant forms an elegant, spreading, and bushy round clump, which comes to life in spring with a variegated flowering, predominantly chrome yellow, above its very soft hairy foliage. This medium-sized perennial is very hardy and easy to grow in a porous not too dry soil. It is irreplaceable for illuminating a slightly shaded area, in a rock garden or border. It will thrive in full sun or partial shade.

The polychrome spurge is a deciduous perennial native to central and southern Europe. It belongs to the vast family of euphorbiaceae. It presents itself as a bushy and spreading clump, a little wider than tall, occupying 50 cm (20in) of ground and slowly widening. Nestled at the base of the stump, new buds grouped around the collar appear in spring. These hairy stems elongate rapidly. They bear deciduous leaves covered with small silky hairs, which turn pretty shades of red before disappearing. The flowering takes place in April-May, sometimes until June. The small flowers, surrounded by bracts very bright yellow-green make up an inflorescence of 4 to 8 cm (2 to 3in) in diameter appearing at the end of each robust stem. In this variety, even the yellow bracts are variegated with green and cream. This plant self-seeds quite easily in light soil.

The 'Variegata' polychrome spurge is used as a border or in a mass planting, in sunny or partial shade. Our advice is to associate it with brightly colored tulips, or on the contrary, white tulips, to give contrast to your flower beds. It can also be planted at the base of evergreen shrubs (conifers, boxwood, myrtle) and among perennials that bloom at the same time, such as Columbines, Phlox divaricata, Campanulas, Geranium phaeum, Lamium, Ajuga reptans, Viola cornuta, and many others. An association with purple foliage like that of Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' or Prunus cistena is interesting, as well as a marriage with the blue flowers of ceanothus, Caryopteris clandonensis 'Grand Bleu' or Ceratostigma willmotianum. Note that this plant, while preferring a bit of moisture at its base, can tolerate occasional drought.

With about 8000 species, euphorbias represent one of the richest genera on the planet. Few of them can acclimate in the garden, but rest assured, there is something to satisfy both the most demanding collector and the amateur gardener who wants to garden without worries with perennial and hardy euphorbias for shade or sun, cool or hot, dry or wet. It's just a matter of choosing wisely.