Euphorbia milii (Crown of Thorns)

Is this your plant @Victoria ? Mine lost all its leaves in the winter although it doesn't usually do that. It's starting to flower now. Maybe the leaves will come later.

 

Yes Michael. I have had it for many, many years. The photo was taken yesterday. Sometimes we lose the leaves in the Winter but it lives outside and we had a very mild Winter.

 

Not the same plant but probably slightly resembling it, Fouquieria splendens, I had grown one from seed a few years ago but it rotted this winter.,

 

Interesting. I don't know this plant.

 

I had one which I had in my lab where I worked. It was very thorny and the flowers were very red.

 

@Victoria I have a red one of these. Photo from yesterday out on the lawn. It lives in the utility room next to an east facing window and gets sunlight for a few hours in spring and summer only. It looks like this all year.

In the winter I worry when the temp drops to 12C, so I move it into the kitchen overnight, where it's a bit warmer. Maybe I don't need to worry - what temp does yours have to put up with outside?

 

That is very pretty. Is it the Euphorbia millii or the Fouquieria splendens @pete mentions?

We are going to around 30c these days and will go up to mid 30s. We don't go down to frost level and our Winters are mild.

 

I think it is the former @Victoria. I have never heard of @pete 's plant. I will look it up later. We are making the most of the good weather in the garden, before it reverts to its usual next week.

 

Fouquieria splendends is only slightly similar, but crown of thorns does remind me of it.
It's not widely available.

 

@pete your Fouquieria splendens (ocotillo?) does look very spikey! It's hardy down to -15C. There are some seeds for sale on eBay. I may give them a go.

 

I grew it from seed about 5 yrs ago, but it must have got wet or damp during last winter as it rotted off, but it wasn't apparent until it didn't grow any leaves when I watered it this spring.

It never flowered for me.

 

The strange thing about it was it always just looked like a dead spiney stick, but within a day of watering it would suddenly start growing leaves.