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This euphorbia puts thrill in fill

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED AUG 27, 2018

Diamond Mountain euphorbia has tiny winged flowers. It's new from Proven Winners. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)

Euphorbia fills in beautifully between Supertunia and Angelonia.

New plant introduction: Frilly but tough Diamond Mountain loves Sacramento heat

One plant can change a whole family's reputation. It can put the thrill into fill.

Such is the case with a surprising euphorbia that should find a home on California patios for many summers to come. Called Diamond Mountain, this euphorbia hybrid is a new introduction from Proven Winners. It's similar to an earlier introduction, Diamond Frost, but bigger -- 24 to 36 inches tall and wide.

Euphorbia is better known by its common name: spurge. Sacramento gardeners rank spurge among their most hated weeds. But euphorbia is a big family, and this hybrid plays up its good points. What makes spurge such a persistent weed works for Diamond Mountain: It has very low-water demands, needs no maintenance, withstands intense heat, grows quickly and blooms like crazy -- in full sun or mostly shade.

Diamond Mountain also plays an underappreciated but very useful role: It's good filler. Like baby's breath in bouquets, it's a tiny little white flower that fills the gaps around the big showy blooms. But those little flowers make their counterparts look better and visually hold the arrangement together.
That same concept works in container gardens and larger landscape beds. With its strange winged white flowers, Diamond Mountain sparkles in part shade -- or moonlight. It's a very attractive supporting player.

Hardy in zones 10 and 11, Diamond Mountain is right on the edge of its comfort zone in Sacramento's 9b, where it likely will die off due to winter frost. But I expect mine to keep blooming through November; since it stays pretty warm on the patio.

Diamond Mountain LOVED this Sacramento summer. It thrived in a large container with two other test plants, Angelface Steel Blue summer snapdragon (an Angelonia hybrid) and cascading Supertunia Vista Bubblegum (a highly rated pink petunia hybrid). All three are non-stop bloomers and complemented each other well. With its airy cloud of flowers, the euphorbia proved to be the head turner. Visitors wondered, "What is that?! "

Another plus: Diamond Mountain didn't get eaten by bugs. While snails chewed on the petunia and something else nibbled Angelface, the euphorbia grew untouched, thanks probably to its white latex sap. (That sticky sap can cause allergic reactions or skin irritation; wear gloves when working with this plant.)

Diamond Mountain has attractive foliage, too, that forms a softly mounded green pillow beneath the long-stemmed frilly blooms. It's such a delicate look for a very tough plant, and opened my eyes to euphorbia's potential. Next time I hear euphorbia, I won't automatically think spurge.

For more on Diamond Mountain: www.provenwinners.com , https://www.provenwinners.com/plants/euphorbia/diamond-mountain-euphorbia-hybrid

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gardening Sacramento euphorbia blossoms low-water plants container gardening filler plants landscape plants summer gardens flowers

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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3

November still offers good weather for fall planting:

* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.

* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.

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