Euphorbia characias subsp wulfenii of the week

The euphorbia is a wide and varied family including everything from the native wood spurge to the Christmas poinsettia. But the one that lights the fuse for the growing season in my plot is Wulfenii.

It’s an evergreen shrub from the Mediterranean and each stem is covered from February onwards with bluish-green leaves and topped with a big head of luminous yellow, small cup-shaped flowers.

It’s quite an architectural plant which is adaptable to either a contemporary garden or amongst a traditional mixed border. The stems are biennial so should be cut back after flowering to allow room for new stems. However, as all euphorbias produce a milky latex from their stems which is a skin irritant, you need to be super careful when you are cutting them back – always wear gloves!

Grow in moist well-drained soil in full sunshine.