PlantFiles: Mediterranean Spurge
Euphorbia characias 'Tasmanian Tiger'

I bought this for $5 at home depot in Comox Valley, Vancouver Island at the end of summer. It said full sun and not much watering (check and check for me!). Planted it and it was unhappy for awhile. Not that I watered it much at all. Gave it no maintanance through the winter. It was only $5 and my hopes were not great. One stem out of four died.

However, this spring it came back quite wonderfully. Bloomed on the old stems and hasn't stopped blooming and it is June now (3 months and going). A lot of new growth at the base. I have been watering it regularly to try and get it established now that it appears to want to live.

Seems like this plant can die really easily at first though. See what happens! It is a great pop of bright colour and it lasts forever.

This is the first time I have seen this plant. i put one each in two pots. They haven't grown very much at all. they are in the full sun. I am sure glad i have read all of your posts, i didn't know it was poisonous, and I wonder if any one ever had them in pots before. considering that they don't like to be transferred ? should i fertilize them? move them into a different location. how will they do in the winter ?????? I bought them because I read they actually glowed at night. i have evening primrose and enjoy the neon glow in the evening. Any advice on getting these to grow faster....

I have been growing this plant for three years and it has become my favorite Euphorbia. The creamy-white and gray-green leaves really stand out, even if the plant never bloomed, and this would make it a winner.

According to what I have read, the stem rises to full height the first year, the second year this stem blooms in season. After blooming it dies and in fall must be cut back to its base or it creates a mess as these stems linger for many years. The next year a new stem grows so you always have a combination of new and mature plant material.

Always wear gloves when cutting this or, I think, any Euphorbia plant. The sap is very irritating to skin and especially eyes. All parts of this plant are toxic so don't let any of the young kids or pets chew on it. I'm not kidding, my son was teething one summer and I had been giving him teething cookies, one after another. I went in to get him another and a bottle of water and when I got back he had crawled into the garden and was busy gumming away on one of the plant stems, fortunately nothing poisonous. Grabbed him, brought him in, phoned the doctor. He said not to worry and fortunately he was right. With Euphorbia, however, this would have been very serious.

EUPHORBIA TASMANIAN TIGER - Spurge - Med. 2-3' - Plant 30" apart. zone 6-8/9 PP#15715 Each leaf is edged perfectly in cream, and upper bracts take on a creamy bow-tie display in early spring. Low maintenance, but must have drainage. Has a real Mediterranean feel.

General Information:
Deer Resistant, Good for hot dry spots. Drought tolerant. Can spread quickly in overly moist soil.

Plant Care:
No special care needed. Can be cut back by a third after flowering to prevent seeding. Does not like to be transplanted once established. Some people are sensitive to the milky sap, so take care when shearing.

I have several Euphorbias, but this one is the most striking - and my absolute favorite by far!! It is easy to grow, loves full sun, and being evergreen it provides a lovely bright spot in the long, gray fall and winter months.....just a great plant!

I just bought three little ones yesterday but the other euphorbias I have are splendid. Monocarpic? Maybe - I take cuttings after my euphorbias flower as some euphorbias do seem to go away after flowering. I find the cuttings will grow very fast and flower the next year. I am told you need to be careful not to get the milky sap on your skin. I don't test that idea!

First time I have seen it for sale in my area - but I have admired it online at PDN.

So far this has been a good plant for me. When I got it, mostly as a curiosity, I figured I would quickly kill it, or it would become monocarpic and die on me (as most Euphorbia characias varieties do)... after all, why wasn't it planted all over? But to my surprise, it has done well for four full years I've had it in the ground in well draining soil, full sun. The blazing heat (110F) of the summer made it look a bit stressed, but not burned. After flowering last year, those stems seemed to die back, but new suckers came up. Now it is flowering again February and looking even better than last year. Hope THIS isn't the year it goes monocarpic (some seem to do that)- nope... does well year after year!