Euphorbia martinii

Euphorbia martinii.
This is one of the best of all the Euphorbias. It grows to about 40cm high and about 30cm wide. It has an annual cycle of growth which means it always has an attractive feature of some kind. 
1. It starts in autumn with a new flush of foliage which is dark green with a purple tinge, this forms a compact bunch of many individual branches that grow through the winter reaching about 30cm tall in April, they make an attractive compact, richly coloured small bush throughout this time.
2. From this point onwards the flowers begin to emerge and take centre stage, their fresh light green colour contrasts well with the foliage, they also have a red blotch at the base of each flower making a further striking contrast.
3. As the flowers age they develop pink and then red blotches eventually becoming suffused with different shades of red, this colouration then starts to appear in the leaves.

Finally in about July - August the plant starts to look a little tired. It is best to hold on to the foliage which starts to die back for as long as possible before cutting that seasons branches down to make way for the new growth, which will already be starting.

This stunning plant is not particularly fussy about soil but will hold its flowers and foliage for longer in light partial shade.

This cycle applies to all Euphorbias but none are as attractive through all stages.

Photo of whole plant to follow.
You can buy this plant on line or from the nursery at Urban Jungle see their link on our Resources Page.