I love looking at your Bonfire photos Jo Ann. It does make me grind my teeth a bit though because of the three I bought a few years ago. 1 is gone and the other 2 might as well be. I'll try again in the spring since Bonfire is the only Euphorbia I've seen which all the garden centers sell as reliably hardy year after year.

I'm obviously no expert Susan but what I've read says they should love your heat and you should have loads of choices.

Thank you Evan, I will be checking them out.


Polly, I love the July color. That one is what grabbed my attention.

I just took this pix now.Its 2 plants in a garden that has enough sun to grow DL's and Lilium but either the soil isnt right or not enough sun for euphrobias. They are hard to see because there arent many leaves on the stems

tarev said:I am new with Euphorbias. I got this little seedling last 06Feb 2012 and its name is Euphorbia characias 'Dwarf':



So far it is growing steadily, a great improvement already seen in a month's time. Could be the milder than usual winter weather and late winter rains:



If anyone has grown this type, would appreaciate knowing your experience about it

--

Just updating the photo of my Euphorbia after Spring and Summer this year: I'd say, it enjoys our weather here..

Showing it beside my dwarf Schefflera:


A little close-up: with and without flash

The plant is great, I might want one also! BTW the Schefflera looks happy also.

Hi, I'm just starting to browse through this thread and envying the Euphorbia species you can grow in warmer zones! I'll dig up some photos of ones I've found to be hardy in zone 3 - more than one would guess, but nothing like you can grow!
Just thought I'd mention that it is a REALLY REALLY good idea to wear gloves when handling euphorbias! The sap (latex) from Euphorbia contains a very strong chemical irritant! (NB. Latex from other plants has been used to make latex products, though not normally from Euphorbia. It has apparently been used in folk remedies... wonder if the cure wasn't worse than the sickness?) I don't normally wear gloves for gardening, and I have no allergies at all, but I learned to wear gloves for handling euphorbias! It burns the skin. Most serious was when I apparently got a little sap on my hands, then transferred it to my jaw/chin by rubbing my face and had a red rash and blisters for some time. Nasty stuff!


http://answers.yahoo.com/quest...

The Euphorbia entries in the database comment on that aspect of the plant sap. Can't be cautioned about that too much.

Yes, I agree. Just wanted to make the point that not having a reaction to latex products (gloves, etc.) doesn't mean one is immune to the effects of Euphorbia sap. (There's no real relationship between latex products and Euphorbia sap). Most fears about plant toxicity are hugely overblown but it does pay to be cautious with Euphorbia! The sap is difficult to wash off, too, and it seems like you need to break it up with an oily substance sometimes to remove it.

Absolutely. And it can mean a trip to the hospital if you rub it in your eyes. Nasty stuff. Can't be too careful around those Euphorbias!!

Wow, good advice! I will be sure to wear gloves when I get one.

growitall said:Yes, I agree. Just wanted to make the point that not having a reaction to latex products (gloves, etc.) doesn't mean one is immune to the effects of Euphorbia sap. (There's no real relationship between latex products and Euphorbia sap). Most fears about plant toxicity are hugely overblown but it does pay to be cautious with Euphorbia! The sap is difficult to wash off, too, and it seems like you need to break it up with an oily substance sometimes to remove it.

Lori, maybe you'd better check your source about the relationship of latex to euphorbias.
http://www.princeton.edu/~acha...

Karen

Yes, right you are! What I meant is that I can find no reference to sap from plants in the genus Euphorbia being used to create commercial latex, which seem sensible given the nature of the sap. (Note that the rubber tree is in the genus Hevea.)

From a common sense point of view, it just seems more realistic that, for the amount of sap needed to manufacture latex products, one could get a lot more sap from a rubber tree than a little garden euphorbia plant. Or even a big euphorbia plant.

Admittedly, taxomony mystifies me. But as for rubber tree being in the genus Hevea, isn't the genus hevea in the euphorbiacea family?
http://www.theplantlist.org/br...

I'm no expert on this, but bottom line, if I had a true latex allergy I wouldn't mess with any plant in the euphorbiaecea family. A true latex allergy is life threatening. Anyone who thinks they might have an allergy should be tested. Various skin exposure can result in dermatitis from things (like rubber gloves) that might exacerbate reactions, but should be tested. (An incorrect label of "latex allergy" isn't something you want when you need medical treatment).

Karen

Well, I think she is saying that even if you are not allergic to latex the sap can hurt your skin. It can burn and cause blisters on people with no allergies at all.
I do not have any Euphorbias, but I was thinking about getting a couple. I had no idea I was in any danger. I just assume that since I have no allergies, I don't have to worry.



to the forum 'growitall'

Good to have you here, Lori. Thanks for the input.

kqcrna said:From a common sense point of view, it just seems more realistic that, for the amount of sap needed to manufacture latex products, one could get a lot more sap from a rubber tree than a little garden euphorbia plant. Or even a big euphorbia plant.

Admittedly, taxomony mystifies me. But as for rubber tree being in the genus Hevea, isn't the genus hevea in the euphorbiacea family?
http://www.theplantlist.org/br...

I'm no expert on this, but bottom line, if I had a true latex allergy I wouldn't mess with any plant in the euphorbiaecea family. A true latex allergy is life threatening. Anyone who thinks they might have an allergy should be tested. Various skin exposure can result in dermatitis from things (like rubber gloves) that might exacerbate reactions, but should be tested. (An incorrect label of "latex allergy" isn't something you want when you need medical treatment).

Karen

Also from the common sense point of view, it would make a lot more sense to make rubber from plants that don't contain harmful compounds in the latex - this seems to distinguish Havea and some other genera that have been used to make latex from the genus Euphorbia, which is really all I'm pointing out. :smily:

When discussing plants, it can be important not to paint an entire family (e.g. Euphorbiaceae) with the same brush; not every genus within a family has the same characteristics, or even every species, for that matter. For example, we eat certain parts of certain members of genus Solanum with impunity (tomatoes, potatoes) but that doesn't mean all Solanaceae are edible.

Yes, virginiarose, that is what I'm trying to say. Sorry that I have been unclear about it.

Just for clarification (maybe), I think this thread started out regarding the genus Euphorbia of the family Euphorbiaceae.



Started to edit the comment but changed my mind.

Karen looks at things from a medical point of view, she zeroed in on the allergy thing. I was focused on the sap thing because I was completely 'shocked' that I could not just wash it off and be done with it.

Yes, from a medical point of view

Karen