Today’s Euphorbia:

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emergingcrops

By consistently improving

varieties, plant breeders

have been able to refine

and reinvent some species.

These old standbys have

been transformed from

troublemakers to industry

sweethearts, from plants

no one wanted to grow

to ones they can’t keep

in stock. To show the

potential of these

emerging crops, GPN is

running a 6-part series

detailing each crop’s

transformation and some

tips for success.

January: Lobelia

February: Penstemon

March: Euphorbia

April: Salvia

May: Hellebores

June: Phlox hybrids

By Rick Schoellhorn

The latest introductions in this family take euphorbia from a holiday crop to a year-round moneymaker.

Growers are alwayslooking for thenext breakthroughin crops, some-thing that brings a

new look, and a new price point, totheir businesses. Once you havebeen in the industry long enough,you begin to see that certain break-throughs are simply the recycling ofcrops that were once popular andthen faded from the consumer’seye. Of course, some breakthroughsare just that — a true exploration ofnew crops. Recycling crops is easierbecause the information is alreadyout there on how to grow theseplants. Breaking new ground incrop diversity is a bit more compli-cated because there are a lot ofunknowns, and let’s face it,unknowns scare people; they waitto try the truly new plants until thekinks are worked out of production.Sadly, those who wait also miss thechance to make the higher pricepoints that a truly new crop offers.

The discovery and marketing ofnew species in the genus euphorbiainclude a bit of both plant-introduc-tion models: recycling the old andinventing the new. Basic productioninformation for euphorbia is avail-able in the form of poinsettia pro-duction guidelines, but the newspecies and hybrids making theirway into the market are much sim-pler to produce than our traditionalholiday crop. Better yet, they have awider market season and shouldoffer wholesalers and retailers achance to make money on the croprather than just maintaining cashflow. So, as we look at some of the

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M a r c h 2 0 0 6 GPN 1 9

emergingcrops

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promising new euphorbs (slang foreuphorbia) remember the basics arethe same, the uses and markets area lot less limited.

Varieties To WatchThe family euphorbiaceae is a

huge family and awesomely diverse;there is so much out there to workwith, and we are seeing just the tipof the iceberg on the market so far.The family is tough, with great per-formance under hot and dry condi-tions, and some species do quitewell under cooler conditions.Experiment with what you can find,and you’ll see the potential for mar-ket expansion.

Euphorbia amygdaloides (and itshybrids) also are growing in popu-larity, despite their name. They areeasy crops for the grower andhomeowner to succeed with. Thehighlight here is the foliage andtexture of the plant. Depending onthe hybrid, leaves may be gray,deep purple, or tricolor white,green and pink.

Cooler production temperaturesenhance foliage color and hightemperatures reduce the impact ofthe foliage tone. This group is quitecold tolerant and usually rosettesfrom fall to winter, emerging inspring with luxurious foliage fol-lowed in late summer by distinc-tive “flowers” that are actuallycup-shaped bracts with ratherinsignificant cyathea (true flowers).All in all, the flowering is spectacu-lar for texture and adds a bit of oth-erworldly sci-fi to any garden.

My personal favorite isEuphorbia cotinifolia (cotinifoliarefers to the plant’s resemblance toCotinus sp. or smoke bush). Thisplant is still a bit of a rarity on themarket but really amazing for usein hot, dry climates where the bur-gundy foliage intensifies with heatrather than fades as it does with somany woody crops. It is not frosthardy but has excellent growth �

‘Diamond Frost’ (top left) and ‘Dolce Rosa’(top right) have redefined what euphorbiascan look like, but even the more commonspruge-types (bottom) are great, unexpectedadditions to mixed containers. (Photoscourtesy of Proven Winners, RickSchoellhorn and Skagit Gardens,respectively)

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Proven Winnerswww.provenwinners.com‘Diamond Frost’

Ecke Ranch through the Ball Centennial Collectionwww.ecke.com‘Dolce Rosa’

Skagit Gardenswww.skagitgardens.com‘First Blush’

Terra Novawww.terranovanurseries.com‘Golden Glory’

emergingcrops

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and performance in hot,humid and hot, dry locations.Inner foliage may turn bronzeto gold as the plant grows,giving a luminescent qualityyou won’t find elsewhere.

Euphorbia fulgens, the plumeeuphorbia, is an old standardin the cut flower industry andis now rarely seen in theUnited States. The archingstems literally are covered withsmall, intense, red, orange, yel-low or white blooms. Thisplant deserves some moreattention and would be a greatdrought-hardy addition tomixed containers.

Don’t forget crown of thorns(E. milii ) and giant crown ofthorns (Euphorbia x lomi); bothare outstanding architecturallyand for flower color. Slow, theyare easily grown and spectacu-lar when in flower. Best flow-ering is under short-day con-ditions, but they oftencontinue well into summerwith bicolor, salmon, red, pinkand yellow bracts.

Pushing The DefinitionOf all the great new

euphorbia on the market, tworeally stand out as completelydifferent from anything elsecurrently available.

‘Diamond Frost’. Therelease of euphorbia‘Diamond Frost’ (Euphorbiahypericifolia, recently reclassi-fied as Chamaesycehypericifolia) from ProvenWinners opens a new marketon the use of euphorbia as abedding plant. This hybrid isever-blooming and requiresno photoperiodic manipula-tion. In form and texture, itresembles baby’s breath (gyp-sophila) and works equallywell in mixed containers ormonoculture 4-inch pots orhanging baskets. As with alleuphorbia, it is drought andheat tolerant, but it also is tol-erant of cool early season con-ditions. For best performance,‘Diamond Frost’ requires highlight levels, so it should bekept in the warmer, brighterportions of the greenhouse.Gauging by the responses

Top: ‘Kalipso’. Bottom: ‘First Blush’.(Photos courtsey of Proven Winnersand Skagit Gardens, respectively)

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emergingcrops

Bonzi On PetuniasPetunias are a very important crop grown in packs, 4-

inch, 6-inch, gallons and basket production. Also, petuniashave a very wide range of growth habits, from very trailingto upright and from low vigor to very fast growing. So, theuse of Bonzi on petunias will vary considerably dependingon the variety and container size.

All petunias have the potential of stretching and grow-ing together if grown close together or with higher irriga-tion and fertilization. Petunias also may be the best exampleof a crop where flower size and time of flowering can beaffected by growth regulators. To protect against both ofthese situations it is important to use Bonzi early in the cropto prevent plants from growing too much before flowering.Then, if late applications are needed, Bonzi should beapplied as a drench to containers 6 inches and larger.

Except possibly with the lowest vigor varieties, Bonzi useon petunias should start with the plugs and liners to pro-duce a compact, strong plant prior to transplanting.Different style plugs can be produced for different contain-ers. Plugs of low vigor varieties to be used in basketsrequire less Bonzi so they will fill out quicker, but plugsgoing into packs or 4-inch containers benefit from moreBonzi to slow growth after transplanting. This strategymakes it easier to produce the desired finished plant withless Bonzi and less risk of affecting flowering.

The most difficult petunias are the trailing vigorous seedand vegetative varieties like the popular 'Wave' varieties.Even in baskets, gallons and 6-inch, these varieties benefitfrom Bonzi prior to transplanting, and the last applicationscan be made 1-5 days prior to transplanting. These varietiesoften benefit from an application either as a spray or adrench 1-3 weeks after transplanting. As the crop developsand reaches final desired size, a Bonzi drench will keep theplants tighter and hold them at a marketable size longer.This approach with vigorous petunias reduces the need forcutting plants back and results in a shorter crop time.Additionally it can help maintain plant quality while hold-ing in a retail environment.

Users should trial Bonzi to determine the optimum userates and frequency of application in their own situation.For plugs and liners, start trials of Bonzi sprays at 5-10 ppm.In final containers start with rates of 15-45 ppm for spraysand 1 ppm for drench applications. The optimum amountof Bonzi will vary considerably with production tempera-tures and may be twice as high in May and June comparedto in January and February.

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from trial gardens around the United States,‘Diamond Frost’ has a continental appeal anduniformly strong performance from Canadato the Southern U.S.

To date ‘Diamond Frost’ is the only euphor-bia of its type on the market in the UnitedStates. In Europe, the genus has a longer histo-ry, and though this crop does not offer a lot ofcolor variation, a pink form is floating out theresomewhere as a diamond in the rough; perhapsin the future we’ll see more from this genus.

‘Dulce Rosa’. Part of the Ball Centennial col-lection, this intergeneric hybrid with poinsettiais barely recognizable as the standard holidayplant. It has long, thin bracts of shocking pinkand a very un-poinsettia-like presentation. Thiskind of breeding innovation (Ecke Ranch) couldpossibly be the bridge many of us have beenlooking for that will expand the poinsettia intospring markets. ‘Dulce Rosa’ is a beautiful addi-tion to spring offerings but easily lost in holidaypoinsettia production. The plant will make a bigimpact in Mother’s Day and Easter sales, if wecan convince growers to be brave and produce itat those times.

‘Dulce Rosa’ is photoperiodic, forming bractsunder short day conditions, which makes it agreat early season crop. It looks weird as a poin-settia but great as a bedding plant groupedtogether in masses. It is sure to make a uniquestatement in spring sales, very popular in con-sumer trials and definitely worth trying.

Culture TipsWith the exception of day length, culture is

similar for most euphorbias. Specific culture fol-lows, but the main items to watch are light andwatering. If you give plants bright light and lowwater, you shouldn’t have any problems.

Light: High light is a requirement. Theseare usually desert-type plants, so the brighterthe light the better

Temperature: Give warm productiontemperatures and avoid chilling except wherenoted in text. Typical guidelines are 65º Fnights and 75-80º F days.

Watering: In all cases, the quickest way tokill this crop is to overwater, especially undercool conditions. Always use low moisturelevels and allow to dry between waterings.

Fertility: Like poinsettias, a higher fertilityrange of balanced fertilizer will work best. Agood starting point is moderate to high fertili-ty levels.

Humidity: Remember, these are typicallydesert plants; they like moderate to lowhumidity levels.

Soil: Always use a well-drained media toprevent overwatering and make sure there isplenty of air around the roots.

Pests and problems: Most varieties donot have lots of pest problems. The mostcommon are root rots from overwatering,aphids and mealybugs.

Growth regulators: In most cases, nogrowth regulators are required.

Uses: Since there is such a wide range ofplant material, euphorbias can be used inmost container formats: mixed containers, 4-and 6-inch containers, and hanging baskets.

Rick Schoellhorn is the director of new prod-ucts for Proven Winners LLC; he can bereached at rick@provenwinners.com.

LearnMoreFor more information related to this article, go to www.gpnmag.com/lm.cfm/gp030601

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