Diamond Frost® Euphorbia Complements Poinsettias
Best Holiday Plant Combination to Decorate Homes for Winter
Nov 8, 2009
Diamond Frost® is a hybrid of Euphorbia. As it happens, the Christmas poinsettia plant that gardeners decorate their homes with during the holidays is also from the same genus. The deep dramatic red poinsettia and white airy flowers of Diamond Frost® make one of the best classic holiday plant combinations that is also easy to grow.
Diamond Frost® Easy to Grow
Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’ is a spurge plant, hardy only in zones 10 and 11. However, gardeners have found this plant so easy to grow that it is planted outside in summer annual gardens and then moved indoors during winter.
This Euphorbia can become a large plant growing up to 24” tall. As a houseplant it will flower throughout winter when placed near a sunny window. Diamond Frost® is a self cleaning plant which means deadheading is unnecessary plant maintenance. After the last frost date, the stems should be cut back before planting it outside. If the plant is kept in the same container, replant with fresh potting soil and time-released fertilizer.
Outside, it will thrive in a full sun location. Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’ is drought and heat tolerant, deters foraging deer and can withstand salt spray when 30 feet or more away, making it useful planted near seaside or beachfront homes. Northern gardeners will, again, bring this Euphorbia inside at the end of the growing season, starting the cycle over.
The low maintenance and easy to grow qualities of Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’ has proved it is no longer about plant hype in the marketplace that has made this plant so popular. Its ability to adapt to many environments makes it an added value for any flower garden, summer and winter.
Euphorbia Poinsettia Holiday Houseplant
Euphorbia pulcherrima is the popular holiday houseplant poinsettia but is rarely referred to by its botanical name. The traditional red poinsettia is the perfect foil for the multitude of white dainty flowers on Diamond Frost®.
Poinsettias thrive indoors in bright light and tolerate dry soil between watering, a characteristic similar to other Euphorbias. However, for poinsettias to remain healthy a few plant-care tips are useful to remember:
- Water poinsettia plants when soil is dry to the touch; avoid allowing the plant to wilt.
- Keep a poinsettia from touching a windowpane in winter.
- Poinsettias prefer cooler nighttime temperature but not below 60º at any time.
The classic red poinsettia is still popular. But with the abundance of colored and variegated bracts now available, there is sure to be one to complement any gardener’s home décor. Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’ looks good paired with evergreen boughs, as well as dark colored poinsettias, for any winter holiday event.
Permission received for all photos used in this article.
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