I know that it’s a plant recommended for dry, shady areas but this proved that it flourishes absolutely anywhere – and often where you haven’t intended it to be. Well, in our garden at least. It’s all the same to this particular euphorbia whether it finds itself under a yew hedge or tucked in under a mature tree. Do you think it would flourish under the dreaded Leylandii? I suspect it would. Anyway, it has dark, showy evergreen rosettes of leaves and lime green inflorescences early in the year.

The other fabulous plant alongside the euphorbia which in my garden was a battered specimen until a week or so but is now cut back to the ground, was a spectacular Melianthus major. Proof of London’s micro climate if ever there was one. This is an exotic South African plant which has deeply serrated glaucous grey-green leaves and smells of peanuts. This one was about to burst into flower and I was quite expecting a humming bird to appear to drink its nectar à la Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town. Do grow it if you have somewhere sunny and sheltered for it to flourish.

Back to euphorbia. First a few facts. The vernacular name of euphorbia is spurge. Euphorbia are to be found on every continent, bar Antarctica, and come in thousands of different forms. The RHS Plant Finder lists over 150 species, varieties and cultivars but really this is the tip of the iceberg in that at least 2,000 species exist throughout the world. A lot are native to the European Mediterranean region – Turkey alone is home to 95 species and Europe has 105 species of which 25 are native to the UK.

Many euphorbia are succulents and are often confused with cacti. In tropical East Africa they reach tree like proportions. The way to tell whether they are cacti or euphorbia is that if the spines are in pairs then it is euphorbia. Oh, and a sticky white sap also means it is euphorbia (the sap is somewhat toxic and to be avoided). That of a cactus is a clear liquid. E. lathyris or molewort was always thought to be grown to put off moles using your garden as a tunnelling venue but in fact its sap was used to burn moles or warts off the skin. The burrowing type of mole aren’t bothered by it at all.

Euphorbia flowers are quite unique and have neither petals or sepals and instead have a colourful structure close to the flowers which is known as a leaf or a bract. At the top of the flower head you’ll see a pair of leaves with a cup like structure inside it which is known as a cyanthium. The glands round its rim secrete nectar and are a beacon for pollinators. Ants are particularly possessive; protecting ‘their’ nectar from all comers!

The strongly honey scented amber flowers of the honey bush, Euphorbia mellifera, are particularly glorious and the seed capsules are notoriously ‘noisy’ as they explode on a sunny day. I’ve always been told that they need a sunny sheltered position to be their best and in countries like Madeira and the Canary Islands, where they are native, and down in the West Country, where the soil rarely dries out and there is plenty of high humidity, that is certainly true as they grow to great heights (2 metres). But I have to say that the numerous plants we have here facing east and all self-seeded into gravel, aren’t too bad either. It is sometimes difficult to get out of the door in the summer.

Many of the spurges are evergreen and give good winter structure. Not only that there is such a selection of colours of stems, leaves and flowers. I just love the frothy bracts of the big Mediterranean Euphorbia characias forms. They start flowering in March and go on through to May and beyond. In their native countries they grow out of crevices in rocks and on poor soil and they make a good foil for hard landscaping. Bear in mind too that they are drought tolerant and battle on quite happily in hot summers – the perfect conditions for them – whilst around them other plants are flagging.

We were spoilt for choice at Great Dixter’s Spring Fair in early April. Dixter’s nursery had Euphorbia donii ‘Amjillasa’ for sale. It grows to 1.5 metres with lime green flowers, an exciting prospect in the border and flowering from midsummer through to the autumn. A stunning foliage plant. Bob Brown’s Cotswold Garden Plants were there and his list of euphorbia is absolutely extraordinary. His catalogue should be compulsory reading for all plantaholics. Each plant gets marks out of ten for its attributes! We succumbed and came home with Euphorbia x arendsii which is a cross between E. wallichii and E. griffithi and has ‘bronze foliage and flower tints’. This and Euphorbia ‘Excalibur’, another chance cross found at Fromefield Nursery, near Frome, came from Pelham Plants who had a lovely selection of plants. E. ‘Excalibur’s new leaves start the season with a burgundy margin, fading to the edges as the season goes on and as its jade flowers begin to make themselves known.

A few favourite euphorbias to look out for would include:

• Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii ‘John Tomlinson’ which has very large yellow/green flowers tapering towards the base rather the shape of a light bulb. You get a good long flowering period from this cultivar with flowering starting in February and flowering on for five months.

• Euphorbia x martinii was found growing wild in France in the 19th Century. It looks good as a winter foliage plant, remaining compact (stems to 2 feet) but when it starts to flower … wow! Lime green bracts each have a tomato red eye. I like Val Bourne’s description of this euphorbia having ‘poise’ – with each rosette having a flower head ‘perfectly placed on top’.

• Euphorbia palustris prefers moist conditions in sun or shade and is also known as the marsh spurge. It’s not only a spectacular sight all summer but has good autumn foliage too with its leaves turning yellow.

• Euphorbia sikkimensis, the Sikkim spurge, is useful as it flowers from July onwards and has sharp lime green flowers which is unusual in the border so late. In the spring the stems produce red leaves and as the season progresses the plant becomes more willowy and gentle. Finally, blue green seed pods are set off by the bright green bracts. 

Sue Whigham can be contacted on 07810 457948 for gardening advice and help in sourcing and supply of interesting garden plants.