In article , Colin
Spooner writes
I love Euphorbia's, and have quite a few doing well in my garden.
I have Wulfennii,Dixter,and other common ones.
I am stuck on how to cut them back,as some are getting a bit leggy. A
gardening book I have, suggests 'cutting old stems back to 2 inches in
July' -- is this good advice??

They don't seem to branch out or regrow from where you cut them, so
cutting needs to be done on the basis that you will be cutting out
complete stems. You will be relying on new growth from the base to be
more compact. I wouldn't cut down the whole plant in one year - cut out
the longest and leggiest stems, then next year when you've had some new
stems grow, cut out another batch of long and leggy stems. And they can
bleed when cut - doesn't seem to cause them a problem, but the sap can
be an irritant, so watch how you carry them.

As to time of year - I've tended to prune in about July/August as this
seems to be when I realise that I've lost a large part of the garden
path under them ;-)

Also can Euphorbias be propagated successfully from cuttings?

Presumably - that seems to be what potted poinsettias consist of - 4 or
5 rooted cutting in a pot. And presumably the named varieties are
propagated that way. But I've never tried.


--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Colin Spooner wrote:
I love Euphorbia's, and have quite a few doing well in my garden.
I have Wulfennii,Dixter,and other common ones.
I am stuck on how to cut them back,as some are getting a bit leggy. A
gardening book I have, suggests 'cutting old stems back to 2 inches
in July' -- is this good advice??
Also can Euphorbias be propagated successfully from cuttings?
Finally -- sorry to be a pain,but I know someone in the 'gadening
universe' has the answer!! where can I buy E 'Black Pearl' and E
'Silver swan' I live in Uxbridge Middlesex.
Many Thanks Colin

Colin,

Just a gentle, friendly, FYI. You're just 15 miles from where I'm sitting
yet, for some inexplicable reason, your time zone is telling me you're in
the middle of the Pacific! Could you do me a favour and change your time
zone via the Windows clock right click menu? Just so you know, and I'm sure
you didn't do it deliberately, having a your clock and/or calendar
incorrectly set so that your message appears forward in time is known as
'post-dating' and is frowned upon because it's like jumping the queue which,
I'm sure you'll agree isn't very polite. Also, it has a tendency to confuse
Usenet servers.

Thanks


--
In memory of MS MVP Alex Nichol: http://www.dts-l.org/

Colin Spooner wrote:

I love Euphorbia's, and have quite a few doing well in my garden.
I have Wulfennii,Dixter,and other common ones.
I am stuck on how to cut them back,as some are getting a bit leggy. A
gardening book I have, suggests 'cutting old stems back to 2 inches in
July' -- is this good advice??

When pruning remember that the sap is caustic and extremely unforgiving
if you get it in the eyes. Wear gloves and eye protection.

Also can Euphorbias be propagated successfully from cuttings?

Yes. Though it is easier if you split a small bit off with some root
attached. E. polychroma sometimes self seeds here.

Regards,
Martin Brown

"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , Colin
Spooner writes
I love Euphorbia's, and have quite a few doing well in my garden.
I have Wulfennii,Dixter,and other common ones.
I am stuck on how to cut them back,as some are getting a bit leggy. A
gardening book I have, suggests 'cutting old stems back to 2 inches in
July' -- is this good advice??

They don't seem to branch out or regrow from where you cut them, so
cutting needs to be done on the basis that you will be cutting out
complete stems. You will be relying on new growth from the base to be
more compact. I wouldn't cut down the whole plant in one year - cut out
the longest and leggiest stems, then next year when you've had some new
stems grow, cut out another batch of long and leggy stems. And they can
bleed when cut - doesn't seem to cause them a problem, but the sap can
be an irritant, so watch how you carry them.

As to time of year - I've tended to prune in about July/August as this
seems to be when I realise that I've lost a large part of the garden
path under them ;-)

Also can Euphorbias be propagated successfully from cuttings?

Presumably - that seems to be what potted poinsettias consist of - 4 or
5 rooted cutting in a pot. And presumably the named varieties are
propagated that way. But I've never tried.


--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

I have, they seemed to need a sharp draining compost, be from very young
shoots, and I also found using hormone rooting powder would stop the cut
stems from bleeding (I suspect talc would work just as well!) if you can get
them with a heel that's better. I generally remove all the stems that have
flowered mainly to prevent seeding.

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

I love Euphorbia's, and have quite a few doing well in my garden.
I have Wulfennii,Dixter,and other common ones.
I am stuck on how to cut them back,as some are getting a bit leggy. A
gardening book I have, suggests 'cutting old stems back to 2 inches in
July' -- is this good advice??
Also can Euphorbias be propagated successfully from cuttings?
Finally -- sorry to be a pain,but I know someone in the 'gadening universe'
has the answer!! where can I buy E 'Black Pearl' and E 'Silver swan'
I live in Uxbridge Middlesex.
Many Thanks Colin

In article , Charlie
Pridham writes

"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , Colin
Spooner writes

Also can Euphorbias be propagated successfully from cuttings?


I have, they seemed to need a sharp draining compost, be from very young
shoots, and I also found using hormone rooting powder would stop the cut
stems from bleeding (I suspect talc would work just as well!) if you can get
them with a heel that's better. I generally remove all the stems that have
flowered mainly to prevent seeding.

I don't have any problems with seedlings from any of them except for E
mellifera, and the main problem with that is not the seedlings but being
bombarded with seeds as we sit on the terrace! I don't remove the stems
as I suspect it's getting towards its border of hardiness in Yorks, but
I find that every three years or so it decides by itself to kill off all
its flowering stems and re-shoot from the base. So it fluctuates in size
from about 4ft diameter to 6ft diameter ;-)
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Many Thanks for the info., it has been very useful.
I will remove a few older stems ,and try to grow them on in a gritty
compost.
I have changed my internet timezone,thanks for pointing it out.
Colin
"Colin Spooner" wrote in message
...
I love Euphorbia's, and have quite a few doing well in my garden.
I have Wulfennii,Dixter,and other common ones.
I am stuck on how to cut them back,as some are getting a bit leggy. A
gardening book I have, suggests 'cutting old stems back to 2 inches in
July' -- is this good advice??
Also can Euphorbias be propagated successfully from cuttings?
Finally -- sorry to be a pain,but I know someone in the 'gadening
universe' has the answer!! where can I buy E 'Black Pearl' and E 'Silver
swan'
I live in Uxbridge Middlesex.
Many Thanks Colin