Key Facts
- Native to eastern and central North America
- Herbaceous perennial that dies back to the crown in winter
- Produces clusters of small white cyathia in midsummer
- Prefers well drained dry to medium soils and tolerates poor soils
- Performs best in full sun to part shade
- Drought tolerant once established
- Attracts bees and other pollinators
- Milky sap can irritate skin and eyes and may cause upset if ingested
Flowering Spurge is a native herbaceous perennial that bears clusters of small white cyathia in midsummer and dies back to the crown in winter. It performs best in full sun to part shade and is drought tolerant once established.
Identification
Plants reach about 12 to 24 inches tall and form loose clumps 12 to 18 inches across. Small white cyathia appear in midsummer, giving a fine textured, airy look in borders and meadows.
Best uses and where to grow
Use Flowering Spurge in sunny dry or poor soil locations where a low maintenance native perennial is wanted, such as prairie edges, wildflower meadows and mixed perennial borders. It tolerates sandy or rocky sites and performs in USDA zones 3 to 8, but it does not like heavy wet soils.
Planting and spacing
Set plants at the same crown depth they grew at in the nursery and space them about 12 to 18 inches apart to allow the loose clump form to develop. Establish plants in well drained soil and avoid areas that stay soggy through winter.
Water and maintenance
Keep plants watered while roots establish, then reduce irrigation since drought tolerance improves with time. Poor drainage will cause crown rot and slower spring regrowth. After flowering you can trim stems to the crown to tidy clumps and reduce reseeding, or allow some seed set to naturalize in a meadow setting.
Propagation
Flowering Spurge is chiefly grown from seed and will increase by self sowing. Where clumps form it can be increased by division or by taking basal cuttings in spring, though division success varies by site.
Controlling spread
Plants may increase by seed over time and can form larger drifts in favourable sites. Deadhead spent flowers before seeds mature to limit reseeding. Remove unwanted seedlings in spring when they are easy to pull.
Safety and wildlife
Bees and other pollinators visit the flowers. Handle stems with care because the milky sap can irritate skin and eyes and ingestion may cause gastrointestinal upset. Wear eye and skin protection when cutting and check regional poison control for pet safety advice.
Frequently asked questions
- How fast does Flowering Spurge grow?
- It forms loose clumps and typically reaches its usual height within a single growing season, then spreads slowly by seed rather than by rapid runners.
- What USDA zones are suitable?
- Zones 3 to 8.
- Is it invasive?
- It is not known as aggressively invasive but it will naturalize from seed and may spread in favourable sites, so control reseeding if needed.
- Can it grow in shade?
- It prefers full sun for best flowering but tolerates part shade with reduced bloom.
- How is it propagated?
- Primarily by seed and sometimes by division or basal cuttings where clumps form.
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