How to Get Rid of Slugs on Ascot Rainbow Spurge Plant

Euphorbias are a fascinating group of plants. There are over 2,000 species in the genus Euphorbia, including cactus-like plants such as crown-of-thorns, and well-known flowers such as poinsettias. Many of the species are native to southern Africa, Madagascar, and Central America. One thing they all have in common is a milky white sap containing latex. But we’re not going to talk about the wide range of diversity today– we’re going to focus on just two cultivars, Ascot Rainbow spurge (Euphorbia x martinii ‘Ascot Rainbow’ PP#21,401) and Ruby Glow spurge (Euphorbia amygdaloides ‘Waleuphglo’ WALBERTON’S® Ruby Glow PP 22,200). You’ll notice that both of these plants have numbers after the names. These are plant patent numbers, and it means that propagation of these plants is prohibited without paying royalties to the patent owner until the patent expires. Modern plant breeding is complicated!

Fun fact: poinsettias are euphorbias too! Euphorbia pulcherrima became a popular Christmas plant after being brought back by the first US ambassador to Mexico (Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett), where they are native. The red “petals” are actually bracts (leaf-like structures), and they turn red after being exposed to 12 hour nights (periods of total darkness) for several weeks.

ID Tips and Maintenance

• Compared to other privets, Japanese privet has thicker, more leathery leaves, and wavier edges. Several cultivars have enhanced this feature to develop quite curly leaves.
• The flowers in the spring are in large white “panicles,” or groups of tiny flowers growing in a multi-stemmed bunch, like a crape myrtle.
• The flowers develop into small, dull blue-black berries, similar in appearance to blueberries or elderberries. The berries are hard and may persist through the winter.
• Privets look best when they are hand-pruned. Shearing causes a ragged appearance due to the large leaf size. It blooms most profusely if pruned right after flowering in late spring/early summer.

The redbud, Cercis, is one of the most beautiful native trees in the eastern US. Cercis canadensis, the eastern redbud, is the one we see in the Carolinas most commonly. The tiny light purple/pink flowers (there are also white varieties) open in early spring, and are actually edible! They make an elegant garnish for salads.

The tree itself is an understory tree, like dogwoods, and stays small–about 15-35′ in height, depending on the cultivar and environmental factors. They can have a single trunk or multiple trucks, and usually have a somewhat zigzag habit to their branches. There are also weeping cultivars available, such as Cercis canadensis ‘Covey’ and Cercis x ‘Ruby Falls’. There is also a selection of leaf colors available, with the newly emerging foliage varying from green to bright golden and red to deep purple, with the leaves developing into solid green, variegated green and white, or purple later in the season. It is truly a versatile and highly attractive tree, and also attracts and supports native pollinators.

Redbuds should be planted in locations where they will have moist, well-drained soil, but not overly saturated. They will grow in filtered light, but look best with more access to sunlight. However, some types are prone to sunburn on the leaves if they aren’t sheltered from the blazing afternoon sun. There are some fungal diseases that can cause cankers and dieback, so make sure the trees are kept healthy with adequate water, correct pruning technique, and proper mulch.

Pruning should only be done to remove dead branches, suckers or “water sprouts”, or branches that cross or rub against each other, causing injury.

• Redbud leaves are distinctly heart-shaped with smooth edges.
• The leaves are arranged alternately along gently zigzagging branches.
• The flowers are very small and resemble sweet pea flowers, because redbuds are in the pea family. Flowers may grow on any surface of the tree, even from larger branches and the main trunk!
• After blooming, the flowers develop into pods resembling snow peas which will turn brown and eventually drop off the tree. They are not usually unsightly, as the foliage emerges right after flowering and will hide the pods.

Some of the earliest signs of spring in the south are daffodils and forsythias. Both are well-known plants common from new developments to old rural homesteads throughout North and South Carolina. Forsythia (Forsythia x intermedia), also known as yellow-bells, is a deciduous shrub that flowers on “old wood,” meaning the flowers that bloom in the spring were actually developed by the plant the summer before. This is an important distinction because pruning at the wrong time could remove the flowers for the following year! There is another shrub that blooms in early spring with yellow flowers that may look similar to Forsythia from a distance: winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum). Today we will address proper pruning of forsythia and how to tell it apart from winter jasmine.

Forsythias typically bloom sometime between late January and late March, depending on the weather and the geographical region within the Carolinas (typically earlier near the coast, and later in the mountains). Because they bloom on “old wood”, or the previous season’s growth, the flowers open before the new leaves. Once the new leaves start to unfurl, the shrub will grow rapidly, sprouting new canes that may be several feet long. Then the new growth will slow down, and all of the energy produced through photosynthesis will be stored in tiny flower buds that will lay dormant until the next spring. Pruning must take place during the few weeks between flowering and the point where new flower buds are developed. Otherwise, there will be very few flowers the following spring.

Forsythias should not be sheared. Unfortunately, many people see them being sheared in settings like fast food restaurant and shopping center parking lots, but this is not an appropriate use of this beautiful shrub. To maintain the natural, graceful, arching habit, forsythias should be selectively thinned from the base of the plant. Older branches should be pruned to the ground to allow to younger, more vigorous canes to fill in. Some of us remember days back our childhoods when we were told in the spring to “go out and cut back the yellow-bells,” and we would cut it back to a small mound and let it regrow fully. This option is called “rejuvenation pruning” and it can be done when a shrub has been neglected for a long time and is badly overgrown, or every few years to promote new vigorous growth. It should not be done every year, as this can stress the plant too much and make it vulnerable to pests and disease.

Ligustrum japonicum, AKA Japanese Privet

Japanese privet is not the showiest plant, but is a tough evergreen shrub tolerant of a variety of conditions making a great choice for many North and South Carolina landscapes. It is drought tolerant, salt tolerant (important for those on the coast!), deer resistant, and will accept a range of sun to partial shade, and most soil conditions except constantly wet/boggy. Some organizations list Japanese privet as an invasive species, but it is really the other species of privet such as L. lucidum, L. vulgare, and L. sinense that self-seed profusely into the environment. If you are still concerned, substitute a native species such as Illicium or a native holly. Take care that children do not eat any part of this plant–both the berries and leaves are toxic.

Euphorbia ‘Ascot Rainbow’ (Spurge) // Very USEFUL perennial with UNIQUE foliage and flowers

FAQ

Can plants recover from slug damage?