Spurge 'Blackbird'
Euphorbia 'Blackbird' · Euphorbiaceae
A compact, evergreen dome of velvety, dark purple leaves, deepest in full sun, with lime-green flowers on red stems in spring.
- Size
- 20 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers early April to late May
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around spurge 'Blackbird'
The planner designed this bed around spurge 'Blackbird' 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 'Blackbird' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Spurge 'Blackbird' × 1, purple leaves
- 2 Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch' × 8, pink
- 3 Sedum 'Lidakense' × 19, pink
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 5, yellow
- 5 Wild quinine × 5, white
- 6 Blue oat grass × 1, tan
- 7 Star of Persia × 2, purple
- 8 Schubert's allium × 2, pink
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
Why here
- At the back. At 20 in it is seen over sedum 'Lidakense' (4 in) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- A step in the back row. Next to brown-eyed Susan (4 ft) and wild quinine (3½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant. Three or more is usual for a plant of this kind, and reads better.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 19 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 5 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Cool colours (pink and purple) with yellow as the warm note, and white and tan to calm things between them. The bed is tied together by its repeats: two kinds come round again along it, sedum 'Lidakense' and Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch'.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory. 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 'Blackbird' 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.
Dark foliage all year in a dry, sunny bed, where few purple-leaved plants thrive. The lime flowers against the dark leaves are a colour scheme in themselves.
- Dark evergreen foliage for dry sun
- Containers
- Contrast with silver and gold leaves
What to plant with spurge 'Blackbird'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Sedum 'Angelina': low enough (5 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Lamb's ear: bold leaves against its fine ones; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (12 in) to stand in front of it.
- Blue fescue: low enough (10 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about spurge 'Blackbird'
Does spurge 'Blackbird' need sun or shade?
Spurge 'Blackbird' 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, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled.
What zones does spurge 'Blackbird' 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.
How far apart should spurge 'Blackbird' 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 24 in (60 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 'Blackbird' 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 one in one group.
Is spurge 'Blackbird' 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.
Is there a pet-safe plant like spurge 'Blackbird'?
These come closest to doing what spurge 'Blackbird' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Sunset hyssop: the same job in a bed; 4 in taller, flowers mid July to mid September.
- Tennessee coneflower: the same job in a bed; 4 in taller, flowers mid June to late August.
- Prairie coreopsis: the same job in a bed; 8 in taller, flowers mid June to mid July.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What does spurge 'Blackbird' look like in winter?
Spurge 'Blackbird' keeps its purple and burgundy 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 'Ascot Rainbow' Euphorbia x martini 'Ascot Rainbow'
- 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, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Early April to late May; dense clusters; green
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; purple, burgundy
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Euphorbiaceae
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. 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.