Euphorbia wulfenii

steve howe

I have about 9 Euphorbia chacarais wulfenii in pots which I bought a couple of years ago for the Great Border Project which for various reasons got delayed until this spring when I have finally got the ground in order for planting. During their spell in their pots and being shunted around, blown over in the gales, and generally ignored, they have become leggy and not looking their best although still valiantly flowering. I have now planted them as my 'punctuation points' but they need cutting back and rejuvenating. Can anyone tell me when the best time to do this is and how close to the ground should they be taken back to? at the moment they are about 2' high but only flowering/leaves at their extreme tips.

Steve

punkdoc

They can be cut to the ground in autumn.

Hostafan1

I leave the old flowering stems over winter, as they look nice in frost, but then cut them to the ground in Spring before the new stems start.

Last edited: 26 February 2017 17:52:41

chicky

My euphobia characias stems only flower in the second year - so I cut flowered ones down after flowering (like Verdun), then leave the rest which will flower next spring.  If I cut the whole lot down every year I'd never get any flowers.

steve howe

Thanks for that info, I'll give them a couple of weeks to settle in then do the deed.

The advice that they flower in their second year may well explain why, in my previous garden, I had five of these dotted along a border, all the same species, all from the same supplier, all planted at the same time, but two always flowered at different times to the other three! I guess this was down to their being pruned at different times on the nursery and got 'out of sync'.

Thanks

Steve

punkdoc

If they don't have old flowers on them don't cut them back. those stems will probably carry this years flowers.