Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow' (Spurge) – Evergreen Perennial (2L Pot)

Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow' is grown for foliage that carries more than one colour at once, backed up by the flat bract heads all spurges throw in spring.

It is upright and clump forming, around 40 to 60cm each way, with narrow leaves set closely up the stems and flat heads of bracts on top. That combination of structure and colour is why it holds its own in a gravel garden, a rockery, a large pot or a modern border, next to grasses or softer perennials.

Plant it in sun or partial shade in soil that drains freely. Once established it needs almost nothing: no staking, no feeding, and it copes with dry spells, coastal exposure and being ignored. Bees work the bracts, and deer and rabbits tend to leave it alone. Every euphorbia bleeds a milky sap that irritates skin and eyes, so wear gloves and eye protection when cutting back, and all parts are harmful if eaten. It arrives as an established plant in a 2L pot.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Spurge
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: 40 to 60cm tall and 40 to 60cm wide
• Growth Habit: Upright, clump forming, architectural
• Perfect For: Borders, gravel gardens, rockeries, patio containers and modern planting
• Foliage: Evergreen, with bracts in spring
• Flowering Time: Bracts from spring into early summer
• Planting Position: Full sun or partial shade, and it copes with dry soil once established, with coastal exposure and with life in a container
• Soil Type: Moist but well drained
• Hardiness: Fully hardy in Britain
• Maintenance: Low. Cut flowered stems to the base in early summer
• Seasonal Interest: Spring and summer, with evergreen structure year round
• Type: Hardy evergreen perennial