Crown of Thorns - Euphorbia milii

At this time of year people start thinking about Euphorbia pulcherrima commonly known as the Poinsettia.

There are, however, many other nice Euphorbias and one of them is Euphorbia milii - Crown of Thorns.

I wanted to talk about this plant because it's not as well known as the Poinsettia, and because it can be very showy with these bright pink bracts nearly all year long.

It's a nice little evergreen, and I grow mine as a houseplant. They can get up to 4 feet eventually with about 1 foot spread.

Bract colors can vary and come in yellow, red, and orange. They grow great in a container and are tolerant of salty soils, so if you live at the beach, you could grow this outdoors.

It tends to like very little water so let it dry out between waterings. It does well in full sun to partial shade, but mine likes it in the house in very bright light with some direct sun in the afternoon.

Do be careful around this plant though, it does have some pretty big thorns all along its stem, thus its name. As long as you're careful you'll not have any problems.

So if you haven't tried one, try Crown of Thorns and give the Poinsettia a run for its money this season!