Name: Euphorbia x martini ‘Ascot Rainbow’
Type of Plant: Evergreen perennial plant for full to part sun. Hardy in zones 5 to 9.
Why I love this: I love this plant for several reasons. First of all, it’s variegated, variegated, variegated! It’s such a bright, bold mix of white, yellow, bluish-green and a tinge of pink. Secondly, the bracts (flowers) are also variegated. Third, the deer don’t seem to fancy this plant and finally, did I mention that it’s really variegated? Mine grows around 22” tall and a bit wider. The flowers are absolutely stunning when combined with others in bouquets.
A Word to the Wise: The white sap from a Euphorbia is irritating to some people, causing “contact dermatitis” when on the skin. When planting this wonderful perennial, or cutting stems for bouquets, you might want to wear gloves in case you’re one of those who are sensitive to the sap. And whether you wear gloves or not, wash your hands after handling the plant so that you won’t get any irritating sap in your eyes or on other parts of the body. Don’t let this deter you from putting this plant in your gardens…just be a tad overly cautious, OK?
Here is Ascot Rainbow in my test garden. After the second year I bought five more and planted them in my prime time gardens. The flower around the edges and behind the Euphorbia are Coreopsis.
This bouquet combined peonies and Ascot Rainbow Euphorbia. They flower at the same time.
