Spurge 'Ascot Rainbow'
Euphorbia x martini 'Ascot Rainbow' ·
Narrow, grey-green leaves edged in gold and flushed pink in cold weather, topped with lime-green flowers with red eyes in spring. Evergreen in mild winters.
- Size
- 20 in tall, 20 in wide
- Zones
- 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Late April to early June
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around spurge 'Ascot Rainbow'
The planner designed this bed around spurge 'Ascot Rainbow' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why spurge 'Ascot Rainbow' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Spurge 'Ascot Rainbow' × 5, green
- 2 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 6, tan
- 3 October daphne × 3, pink
- 4 Stiff goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 5 Little bluestem × 3, blue-green leaves
- 6 Leadplant × 1, purple
- 7 Schubert's allium × 3, pink
- 8 Hyacinth 'Delft Blue' × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only green. Green sits between stronger colours and calms them.
Why here
- In the middle. At 20 in it is the step between moor grass 'Greenlee' (12 in) in front and leadplant (2½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- A step in the back row. Next to little bluestem (3 ft) and leadplant (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 5 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for 7 weeks. From late April to early June.
- Fills a gap. For one of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Moor grass 'Greenlee' flowers longest, for 15 weeks. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 40% of the visual weight and the right half 60%. The plan meets all 17 of the design principles it was checked against, and is Excellent in three categories.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where spurge 'Ascot Rainbow' goes in a border
At 20 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
A plant with something to show in every month. It needs drainage more than anything; wet winter soil kills it. The gold edge picks up yellow tulips and daffodils.
- Year-round foliage colour for sunny, well-drained beds
- Containers
- A partner for spring bulbs
What to plant with spurge 'Ascot Rainbow'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Tulip: red against green, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for four weeks.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': carries the spot on into mid October; bold leaves against its medium ones; happy in the same dry soil.
- Blue fescue: its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (10 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about spurge 'Ascot Rainbow'
Does spurge 'Ascot Rainbow' need sun or shade?
Spurge 'Ascot Rainbow' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled.
What zones does spurge 'Ascot Rainbow' grow in?
USDA zones 6 to 9. It is hardy to zone 6, which means it survives winter nights down to about 0 °F (−18 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does spurge 'Ascot Rainbow' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late April to early June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 6 | Mid April to early June |
|---|---|
| Zone 7 | Mid April to late May |
| Zone 8 | Early April to late May |
| Zone 9 | Late March to late May |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should spurge 'Ascot Rainbow' be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 20 in (50 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 20 in (50 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many spurge 'Ascot Rainbow' plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used five in one group.
Is spurge 'Ascot Rainbow' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs and cats. The sap can irritate skin and eyes. Can cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like spurge 'Ascot Rainbow'?
These come closest to doing what spurge 'Ascot Rainbow' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Eastern bee balm: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; pink, not green, not evergreen.
- Lanceleaf coreopsis: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late May to mid July, yellow, not green.
- Mountain bluet: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late May to late June, blue, not green.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after spurge 'Ascot Rainbow'?
Spurge 'Ascot Rainbow' is over by early June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall.
- Butterfly weed: from late June to early August, 24 in tall.
- Yarrow: from mid June to late August, 24 in tall.
What does spurge 'Ascot Rainbow' look like in winter?
Spurge 'Ascot Rainbow' keeps its variegated leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Euphorbia
- Cushion spurge Euphorbia polychroma
- Cushion spurge 'Bonfire' Euphorbia polychroma 'Bonfire'
- Cypress spurge Euphorbia cyparissias
- Donkey-tail spurge Euphorbia myrsinites
- Flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
- Griffith's spurge 'Fireglow' Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow'
- Mediterranean spurge Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii
- Purple wood spurge Euphorbia amygdaloides 'Purpurea'
- Spurge 'Blackbird' Euphorbia 'Blackbird'
- Spurge 'Chameleon' Euphorbia dulcis 'Chameleon'
- Wood spurge Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 20 in (50 cm) tall, 20 in (50 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late April to early June; dense clusters; green
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; variegated
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.