Martin's Spurge

This Euphorbia is one of the most colourful, yet simplest evergreen foliage plants you could grow.

This little subshrub forms a tidy mound of mid green foliage, from mid spring it is topped with clusters (10-12cm) of apple green bracts with mahogany centres that can last into autumn. The new leaves have a handsome red to purple blush before maturing to mid green.

They revel in a dry, sunny spot. Plant into moderately fertile to hums rich, well drained soil in a sunny spot. They need at least four hours of sun to grow well, more if possible. Water to establish, then only if rainfall is low, they are dry tolerant. As with all Euphorbia, care should be taken when handling as the sap is toxic and can irritate skin.

Ideally, cut the flowering stems back hard in autumn before the frosts, but you can do it anytime they become untidy. Then prune the rest of the plant as required, it will reshoot from the base so if it has become leggy you can brutal.

Euphorbia x martinii is a natural cross of E. characias and E. amygdaloides and it doesn’t self sow.