This dramatic plant is a bit of an unreliable actor. In strong winters, it tends to lie like an ugly black snake, a nearly dead mass on the ground. If you are not patient - or your gardener does not know this plant and cuts it back then - the remainder will surely die. If you ignore it and put up with its ugliness, it may turn up its large yellow-green bright heads, when the sun starts to come out and the frosts have gone, and will rise and shine towards the beginnung of April, to present large yellow flower heads on long lanky stems. It is still not very common in Germany - I found it while visiting English gardens. It needs dry sunny soil, but - if you are patient - it will come back most springs, even if is has been lying under snow. I tried it out for the first time nearly twenty years ago. Then, I bought the subspecies wulfenii with even larger flower heads. The mother plant died long ago, but its offspring in the wild form is still present in our garden. Ours moved from a wall, where I planted the first specimen for protection as was suggested by the nursery, into the wild under the cedar tree, in very dry, warm conditions, and direct sunlight in spring, when the sun is still low. Lots of kindlings will come up at the most surprising places with dark green or bright yellow flower heads. The green ones are less attractive, so I removed them meticulously that they would not propagate. Now, we have only yellow ones. The wild form has slightly smaller flower heads than ssp wulfenii, but is still a very dominant and pleasing sight in the garden at this time of year.
Euphorbia characias in front of Choisya ternata "Sundance".
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