Zone: 3 to 9

Soil: Sand to clay

Light: Full sun to part sun

Bloom colour: white

Bloom period: July to August

Height: 2 - 3 ft

Moisture: Usually dry to medium

Attracts: A variety of bees and wasps.

Notes: Flowering spurge is can be found in a variety of habitats from prairies to sand dunes. It is native to most of the Eastern United States and to Ontario in Canada. It is rarely planted in gardens, yet it deserves a lot more attention. It flowers for nearly two months and produces a thick spray of small white flowers that would contrast nicely with other plants. It typically grows about 2 feet high and could therefore fit into just about any garden. Also, its adaptability makes it an easy plant to grow.

The flowers are unusual in that they are either male (with yellow stamens) or female but not both. Both female and male flowers are found on an individual plant.

Only moderate numbers of pollinators visit flowering spurge but the diversity of visitors is noteworthy. They attract bees that are not commonly seen on other flowers and they are one of the few plants that attract a range of beneficial wasps.

Avoid getting the latex on your skin as it might (and only might) cause some irritation. In Africa, the Euphorbia are the equivalent of cacti in North America, but they produce a toxic sap instead of spines to protect themselves. I have not had any problems working with these plants in the garden.