One of the most popular Christmas flower decorations is poinsettia, the star of Bethlehem. Few people, however, realize that this plant belongs to the population of about 2 thousand. species, genus of spurgeons - very diverse and abundant in plants with unusual features. Learn the most interestingspecies of wolfdogs and the rules of growing and caring forthese plants.
Beautiful spurge, or the popular star of Bethlehem
Wolfdog - characteristics
Euphorbia(Euphorbia) is found mainly in tropical and subtropical areas.About 100 species are also found in Europe, and in Poland there are about 20. Among the spurge we can find annual and two-year-old plants, perennials and shrubs that can winter in the garden, as well as plants suitable only for pot cultivation in heated rooms. But this is not the end of interesting facts. Because who would have thought, looking at the popular star of Bethlehem, that among her countrymen we would also find succulents that resemble cacti!
Note!The white juice flowing in the stalks of the spurge is poisonous in most cases. Therefore, when deciding to grow these plants, it is worth being careful, especially if we have young children. When caring for plants, remember about the possibility of skin irritation (always wear gloves).
In the garden, do not plant spurge near the edges of ponds, because their juice may be harmful to fish. Self-seeding may be troublesome for some garden species.Beautiful Wolf - Bethlehem Star
During the Christmas season, a popular decoration in our apartments is poinsettia - the star of Bethlehem. A special decoration of this plant are colorful (usually red, pink or cream) flowers, appearing on the tops of the stems, reminiscent of stars. They are surrounded by small flowers, concentrated at the tops of the shoots, which, however, do not constitute any particular ornaments in themselves.
This plant blooms when no ray of sun reaches it for more than 12 hours a day. Such conditions (short day) occur in the autumn-winter period, causing flowering at the turn of the calendar autumn and winter. Thanks to this flowering time, the poinsettia could become such a popular Christmas decoration.
When deciding to buy poinsettias, remember thatwolczomleczthis one is very sensitive to cold and drafts. When exposed to such conditions, the Star of Bethlehem loses its leaves and loses its charm within a few days.Therefore, the poinsettias must be properly packed on the way from the florist's home. We should also pay attention not to buy a copy that was standing right next to the front door in a florist's shop, and never to buy poinsettias sold in the open air, because such a plant is definitely cold and will soon wither.
Spurgeons - pot species
"In addition to the most popular poinsettias, in pot cultivation you can also often findshiny spurge , also called magnificent (Euphorbia milli). This plant is a succulent with spiky hexagonal stems (which is why it is also referred to as the crown of thorns). Reaches up to 1 m in height and 60 cm in width. The leaves are obovate, light green. Sometimes they fall off in the winter. Inflorescences with bright red buds can appear all year round, although they are most often enjoyed in the summer.The cultivation of this spurgeis similar to the cultivation of cacti. It requires a loose, permeable substrate and very little watering in winter."
The spotted euphoria resembles a cactus
Another interesting succulent is thespotted euphoria(Euphorbia obesa), which looks very much like a cactus. It forms a spherical, angular, dark green stem, on top of which a ring of small yellow flowers may appear in the summer.Caring for the spurgeis also similar to the care for cacti. In winter, we stop watering and lower the temperature to about 10 ° C.
Spurge - garden species
Euphorbia cyparissias, which we can successfully cultivate in the garden, is a native species -pine spurge(Euphorbia cyparissias). It can often be found on roadside slopes. It is a short (up to 40 cm high), wide-growing perennial that can be used as a ground cover plant. In April and May, we can admire its yellow flowers, gathered in inflorescences with a diameter of about 5 cm.It feels best in sunny and dry positions, with light, well-drained soil. The pine spurge can cope even in very poor soils and overwinter without any problems, but it may turn out to be too expansive.
Wilczomlecz pine
Another native species isalmond-leaved spurge(Euphorbia amygdaloides). This species is found in deciduous forests. In garden cultivation, it requires semi-shaded places, humus and calcareous soils. It is a tufted perennial with woody shoots, blooming from May to June. The 'Purpurea' variety with purple-colored leaves may look interesting in flowerbeds. Suitable for naturalistic gardens.
Almond 'Purpurea'
A beautiful hybrid variety also comes from the almond-leaved spurge -spurge 'Ascot Rainbow' It is a semi-evergreen perennial with decorative leaves distinguished by a yellow margin around the leaf blade. The spurge 'Ascot Rainbow' has a compact habit and reaches up to 40 cm in height. The shoots become woody at the base, but above it they are relatively soft and may lay slightly. Lanceolate leaves, 3-7 cm long and 1 cm wide. They are orange in young increments, then gray-green with an irregular yellow margin. The spurge 'Ascot Rainbow' blooms from mid-April to July. The plant is fully frost-resistant and hibernates well in our climate.
Wilczomlecz 'Ascot Rainbow'
Fig. depositphotos.com
The next perennial spurge that can appear in the garden isspotted euphorbia , also called golden spurge (Euphorbia polychroma). This plant forms semicircular clumps up to about 50 cm high and wide. From mid-spring, we are pleased with bright yellow inflorescences. The leaves are dark green, oval, pointed.They may turn red in autumn. The plant is suitable for sunny beds and rock gardens. It grows well in light, dry soils, also poor and rocky. Excess moisture causes rotting and loss of compact habit.
When choosing species for your garden, it is also worth taking an interest inmyrtle spurge(Euphorbia myrsinites). This plant creates overlapping shoots with interestingly presented, tile-shaped fleshy leaves covered with a bluish coating. We plant in sunny positions with light, well-drained soils. It grows well on rockeries. Remember, however, that it requires covering for the winter, e.g. with conifer twigs, as it can freeze without covering.
Rimmed lupus
The abovementioned species of spurge are perennials. On the other hand, lovers of annual plants can sow the North American spurge , also known as Białobrzegi (Euphorbia marginata).It has narrow and pointed leaves with white edges (hence its name). Flowers collected in gable umbels up to 5 cm in diameter also have white spots and streaks. It blooms from July to August. The seeds are sown at the beginning of May directly into the ground in a sunny position (this is the easiest way, but you can also grow from seedlings). Requires light, well-drained soils (on too fertile soil the leaves may turn green, depriving them of an attractive white margin). It grows up to 80 cm in height.A lot of interest is also aroused by
pea spurge(Euphorbia lathyris), which we grow as a biennial plant. It flowers in the second year of cultivation, creating large inflorescences. It owes its name to the fruits that appear in summer, which before ripening resemble green peas. On sunny days, the splits can rupture quite rapidly, ejecting seeds a considerable distance. The plant grows up to 1.8 m in height. This species is worth having in your garden, because its root secretions deter moles, mice and voles.A lot of people confirm that these spurgeons are really effective mole-repelling plants.I have presented a few, the most common
species of wolfdogs , because it is impossible to describe such a huge family of plants in one text. However, after these few descriptions we can see that among the spurge we can find plants suitable for various types of gardens and for different workplace conditions, as well as for potting in apartments. That is why I encourage the more inquisitive to continue searching and enriching their collections with spurgeons from all over the world.
