(Spurge)

Native to Europe and Turkey, cushion spurge is notable for its breathtaking spring to early summer display of brilliant yellow-green flowers. This beautiful herbaceous perennial forms a neat, rounded mound of sturdy stems which are densely encircled with small, oval, deep green leaves. The softly-textured foliage may develop attractive tints of red and orange in fall. Bright yellow flower clusters appear at the ends of the stems in spring, and remain showy well into summer. These are actually...

(Candelabra Spurge, Lucky Cowboy, Tiger Tree)

With lots of spines and coarse branching, the candelabra spurge is both visually striking and intimidating in an arid garden. This rather fast-growing, short succulent plant is native to the subtropical coast of South Africa. It's frost sensitive. Very healthy, robust plants are many-stemmed and create a wide clump that looks like underwater coral tubes.

Instead of having leaves, the candelabra spurge conserves moisture in milky sap in its colorful stems. Each stark, upright stem is green with...

(Mexican Flame-leaf, Poinsettia)

Poinsettia, the popular Christmas plant, has a surprising identity. Most don’t realize it is a medium-sized deciduous shrub native to western Mexico. In fact, Mexican flame-leaf is another of its common names. When grown in its natural environment, this leggy tender shrub is a far cry from the neat, bushy greenhouse-grown potted plants we purchase during the winter holidays.

All poinsettias have upright woody stems lined with large, thin, deep green leaves with irregular, pointed edges. Sticky...

(Freedom™ Jingle Bells Poinsettia, Poinsettia)

One of several cultivars in the popular Freedom™ series of poinsettias, this 1993 introduction is noted for it red, pink-splotched flower bracts, deep green leaves, compact multi-branched habit, and early bloom. Plants in the Freedom™ series were developed and introduced by Paul Ecke Ranch of Encinitas, California. Like all modern selections of Euphorbia pulcherrima, Freedom™ cultivars were developed to meet the massive holiday demand for bushy, compact, greenhouse-produced poinsettias....

(Freedom™ Pink Poinsettia, Poinsettia)

A member of the popular Freedom™ series of poinsettias, this 1993 introduction is noted for it pink flower bracts, deep green leaves, compact multi-branched habit, and early bloom. Plants in the Freedom™ series were developed and introduced by Paul Ecke Ranch of Encinitas, California. Like all modern selections of Euphorbia pulcherrima, Freedom™ cultivars were developed to meet the massive holiday demand for bushy, compact, greenhouse-produced poinsettias. Their wild ancestors in western...

(Freedom™ White Poinsettia, Poinsettia)

A member of the popular Freedom™ series of poinsettias, this 1993 introduction is noted for it white flower bracts, deep green leaves, compact multi-branched habit, and early bloom. Plants in the Freedom™ series were developed and introduced by Paul Ecke Ranch of Encinitas, California. Like all modern selections of Euphorbia pulcherrima, Freedom™ cultivars were developed to meet the massive holiday demand for bushy, compact, greenhouse-produced poinsettias. Their wild ancestors in western...

(Freedom™ Red Poinsettia, Poinsettia)

One of several cultivars in the popular Freedom™ series of poinsettias, this 1990 introduction is noted for it scarlet flower bracts, deep green leaves, compact multi-branched habit, and early bloom. Plants in the Freedom™ series were developed and introduced by Paul Ecke Ranch of Encinitas, California. Like all modern selections of Euphorbia pulcherrima, Freedom™ cultivars were developed to meet the massive holiday demand for bushy, compact, greenhouse-produced poinsettias. Their wild ancestors...

(Arctic Poinsettia, Poinsettia)

Arctic poinsettia bears pure white flower bracts that develop relatively early in the poinsettia season. This Dümmen Jungpflanzen introduction was raised from seed from a cross made by Marga Dümmen in Stuttgart, Germany, in 2000. Like all modern selections of Euphorbia pulcherrima, it was developed to meet the massive holiday demand for greenhouse-produced poinsettias. These selections grow from unrooted cuttings to bushy, leafy, heavily blooming potted plants in a matter of months. In contrast,...

(Carousel™ Dark Red Poinsettia, Poinsettia)

Poinsettias in the Carousel™ series are distinguished by their frilly, wavy-edged flower bracts. The cultivar 'Carousel Dark Red' bears deep-red bracts from late autumn into winter, midway in the poinsettia season. It originated in Japan as a mutation of 'Future.' Like all modern Euphorbia pulcherrima cultivars, 'Carousel Dark Red' grows rapidly from an unrooted cutting to a compact, bushy, heavily blooming, market-ready pot plant. In contrast, its wild ancestors in western Mexico are leggy,...

(Carousel™ Pink Poinsettia, Poinsettia)

Poinsettias in the Carousel™ series are distinguished by their frilly flower bracts. Carousel™ Pink (also known as 'Future Pink') bears bright-pink bracts in early winter, toward the end of the poinsettia season. This sport of the cultivar 'Future' was discovered by Eric Voogt of Langley, British Columbia, in 2000. Like all modern Euphorbia pulcherrima cultivars, Carousel™ Pink grows rapidly from an unrooted cutting to a compact, bushy, heavily blooming, market-ready pot plant. In contrast,...