I first noticed spurge at the Oregon Garden in Silverton. I was there with my mom, who was a frequent visitor when she lived in nearby Salem. Whenever we came upon another one, I would declare, “Look, more spuuuurge.” What a comical word! It so happens that spurge is the common name for more mellifluent sounding euphorbia, a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae.
The pictures below show the plant before it comes into full bloom. They look like Muppet aliens, which is probably why I have 12 in my backyard. Stay tuned for part 2.
CatNISS 