I see this type of Euphorbia during winter in the city of Vancouver. This one is located near the Victoria Inner Harbour in James Bay. I saw several other kinds this week. I talked to local gardeners removing stuff for winter or putting in winter plants. Two were from Ontario like myself. We find it amazing what little we knew as easterners about BC. I took geography in Ontario and Canadian flora was included. The course had obviously way too little content on BC. It was so generalized that it is actually sad to find how as easterners we were obsolutely ignorant about the BC coast and its potential. My gf is stunned seeing winter veggies. Some newbies are very surprised but are not complaining. Keep on gardening... Cheers Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Euphorbia

OK.. first question: plant in orange pot is a Yucca elata planted a bit too shallowly (roots showing), but seems pretty happy that way Pachys have pretty wimpy root systems, and besides, they don't seem to give the least bit concern to having them injured, cut, torn etc., as long as they aren't enormous roots (and never seen one with enormous roots). They are super easy to move (root-wise). Spines and weight are bit more of a problem, but I have a great pair of cactus mitts that allow me to pretty much grab any cactus I want (with the one exception of a Pereskia) and pick it up... then weight and balance are the other problem, and they can break in half easily, so you need some support (like a bag of wadded up newspapers sitting on my shoulder). Then I have to stake them up for a few months until their wimpy root system takes over again and secures the plant. Don't think I've seen too many P namaquanums that didn't have wavy leaves.. .that is their main attraction I think. whenever one of my Pachys freeze, the top dies, rots a bit, and I either ignore it, or cut it off an angle (so water will not sit on the cut surface).. .it heals over and 3/4 of the time at least two heads will reappear... the other 1 time just one appears off to the side giving the plant an offset look. I think if it weren't for damage, most Pachypodiums would never branch. The Pachy in the rock does have a smidgeon of soil in there with it... but it basically lives on moisture from watering and some minute amounts of fertilize I rain down upon it now and then. Probably would be happier with more... yet it blooms every year. P brevicaules can grow up to about 6" tall, but I have never seen one taller My plants are nothing... there are hundreds, if not thousands of Pachys in so Cal MUCH larger in MUCH smaller containers than mine. As I said, they have wimpy roots and don't seem the worse for wear being crammed into dinky pots.. the big problem is keeping them from toppling as they are super top heavy at that point. There is a species of Euphorbia called decaryi, too, though it doesn't look anything like a Pachypodium. There is a Euphorbia pachypoides that does look just like a Pachypoidum, though it has no spines I have seen variegated Pachy lamereis, but I dont' have one. Rainfall does not appear to be a big problem, though this is a constant drought climate and our yearly rainfall is usually less than 20". Problem is most of it comes in just a half dozen or so rainfalls, so we get a lot at a time but then go 6-9 months without a drop. Here's the cactus mitts... hard to find, but not expensive once you do... amazing invention! This is my branching plant out front right after the big freeze Here after I did a bit of surgery Here the following spring Here a few years later in winter showing the unleafy branches I also had this wonderful crested plant (pretty commonly available out here) Here a year and half later, grown to enormous proportions... almost to the point of being so large it might collapse under its own weight... see the 'normal' branch on the right side of it? Here it is in later winter with leaves just starting to come back... this is when one can see the crest the best But freeze 4 months later took this plant down... sigh.

Giardinierven, I sometimes lose some of my euphorbia characias wulfenii as well, normally during the winter though. Since they reseed like mad, I always have new babies coming up. Mine have never gotten 6 X 6 before however. The first time I ever saw this plant it was in one of the first gardening books I ever bought many years ago. It was a display in the desert and had huge specimens of it. That was when I knew I had to try and grow that variety. Weird wantonamara, as I always think of most euphorbias as being extremely drought tolerant plants, once establised anyways. Mine never get watered including the seedlings that come up and they do well here,even the past two summers where we have had extreme drought conditions and higher heat temps for extended periods of time. I haven't tried growing the varieties you mentioned however and I am sure Texas heat is much worse than what we have.

Mike - ya gotta get with it!! Didn't you know that orange was the hot new color in the garden?? Seriously, I know it is not everyone's choice but I am a big orange fan........just not of the orange (or yellow) tall growing Alstroemerias. Made that mistake once and won't repeat it :-) catkin, try Euphorbia rigida. Quite similar to myrsinites in appearance and size but very well behaved.