Surely you also know that the garden spurge is poisonous. Many therefore speak of a weed. But it is also a medicinal herb. More about it here.
Gardeners regard the conventional garden spurge primarily as a weed that should be disposed of as soon as possible on a compost heap. Especially since the naturally occurring spurge is one of the poisonous plants and the herbaceous garden spurge is also commonly classified accordingly.
But in recent years, the easy-care, yellow to greenish flowering spurge has been extremely cultivated and is now available as a perennial plant with a growth height of 10 centimeters to 100 centimeters in numerous garden centers. The low-growing spurge perennials for the rock garden are particularly popular, including the roller spurge and the red-leaved spurge.
Although many consider garden spurge to be a weed, it is still a medicinal herb. Mainly the milk of the spurge plants is still processed in medicine today, for example in medicines for skin rashes, as a laxative and also in the treatment of tumors. But the milkweed plant is also said to make warts disappear quickly.
Appearance and flowering time
The flowering period of the spurge lasts from May to September, depending on the variety. The blossoms themselves always appear very filigree, almost inconspicuous and are therefore only properly perceived by the human observer within a complete perennial blossom. The flowers of the spurge are not a real flower, but rather a sham flower, i.e. a so-called leaf development that looks very similar to a flower.
» By the way:
The poinsettia that is so popular with us, which beautifies the living room every year during Advent with its red, pink and white leaves, belongs to the genus of the spurge family.
Known spurge species for gardening
- Common garden spurge - yellow flowering, annual
- Cypress Spurge - early flowering from May, perennial, sunny location
- Almond Spurge - partially shaded location, green flowers from April
- Carpet spurge - looks cactus-like, perfect for the rock garden
- Golden Spurge - also known as Multicolored Spurge
- Red-leaved spurge - foliage forms a beautiful contrast to the flower
- Swamp Spurge - growing very tall (up to 100 centimeters)
- Solstice Spurge - late flowering (from July), prefers drought
- Donkey Spurge - its ripe fruits eject the seeds several meters in late summer
- Small Spurge - annual or biennial, planted as ground cover
- Rock Spurge - is also well suited for keeping in the rock garden
- Woolly Spurge - has a yellowish autumn color
- Broad-leaved Spurge - forms pretty, green pods
Cultivation of garden spurge
You can actually plant the garden spurge anywhere, since it does not make any special demands on the location or the soil conditions. It also does not require any extra care during the gardening season. You should just be careful that it doesn't spread uncontrollably in the garden beds.
» Important:
You should only work on the garden spurge with gardening gloves, as its milk is poisonous and can cause skin irritation. You also need to be careful not to get the milk in your eyes, nose or mouth as it will cause itching and swelling there.