Garden Scheme
Plant library · Perennial Flowers
Euphorbia polychroma
Cushion Spurge is a low, mounding perennial that brings brilliant yellow bracts to the garden from spring into early summer. Reaching about 18 inches tall and wide, it reads as a rounded mass rather than a vertical accent. Its compact scale makes it useful where a bed needs a clear, bright spring presence without obscuring plants behind it.
Space Cushion Spurge 18 inches apart, measured center to center (45 cm).
The mature spread is about 18 inches (45 cm), so neighboring plants just meet at maturity without crowding.
Treat 18 inches as a planning baseline — cultivar and local growing conditions shift the final footprint.
Set cushion spurge toward the front or middle of a sunny border, where its 18-inch mound can be seen from a path or patio. Use it to make repeated spring punctuation along a bed edge, leaving taller summer perennials behind it rather than crowding its outline. A dry, open planting pocket is more suitable than a low spot that collects winter moisture. Its deer-resistant character can also make it a practical choice for exposed border sections.
Plant on 18-inch centers so each plant has room to develop its own rounded footprint at maturity. In a row beside a path, keep the planting line far enough back that the mature 18-inch width does not spill into circulation space. For a fuller block, stagger plants at the same 18-inch center-to-center interval rather than compressing the front edge.
Give this perennial full sun and well-drained soil. Its low water needs suit parts of the garden that dry between rains, including raised beds, sloped borders, and rocky or sandy planting areas. Avoid sites that stay wet in winter, especially enclosed pockets where drainage is slow.
The yellow display is concentrated in spring and early summer, so reserve nearby space for plants that carry the bed later in the season. Spent flowering growth can be removed to limit unwanted self-seeding and keep the clump orderly. Plan access from the bed edge or path for this cleanup rather than burying the plant behind a dense summer layer.[1][2]