Whirlpools of powerful pink petal-like bracts present tiny yellow flowers in a display that mesmerizes with mystery. Really, that teeny tiny yellow thing is a flower? In the world of Euphorbias that is a ‘yes’. Today, I present to you Euphorbia milii otherwise known commonly as Crown of Thorns. It comes to us from the mysterious isle of Madagascar.
This shrub sprawls with a serpent-like swagger of fiercely thorny stems to form a tumbly tangle of sculptural form. Its striking stems are covered with elongated paddles of elegant green foliage that appear at the end of structural stems. The look is edgy and exotic.
Feeling dangerous? Give this plant a go. Its hardy to 28 degrees and can grow up to 4 feet tall by 2 feet wide. It loves to feel the light of full sun outdoors and bright light indoors. Give it well-draining, porous soil, and regular water. In return, it will stand up, spiral, and swirl into a sculptural specimen covered with whirling, wondrous flowers of fantasy.