Diamond Snow Euphorbia: A garden game changer

Diamond Snow has dramatically changed how we look at euphorbias or that not-so-glamorous common name of spurge. We all fell madly in love with its sibling Diamond Frost and subsequently gave it hundreds of awards in university trials. Diamond Snow, however, is a game changer.

Though Diamond Snow has only been out two years, it is racking up pages of awards, such as Perfect Score All Season at Oklahoma State, Top Performer Biltmore Estate and universities like Minnesota, Ohio State, Cornell, Delaware and Florida just to name a few.

You might ask, Why? Well, the Diamond Snow blossoms are double. To the flower border, mixed container or basket, it is a choice as the names suggest, frost or snow. The original Diamond Frost will always have a place, lending the artist touch to mixed plantings. It is like sprinkles while Diamond Snow is a main course in your designs. It can get a Holy Wow right alongside with the most colorful begonia or petunia.

These plants known as spurges and euphorbias are related to the poinsettia and copper plant, but don’t let that throw you. They really are, and will always be, the toughest flower you can put in the garden. Though small in stature reaching about 12 to 18-inches tall and as wide, these award winners will never be without hundreds and perhaps now, thousands, of tiny white flowers. You would never really be able to count them all.

For best blooming, select a location with as much sunlight as possible. Some shade is certainly tolerated. Despite its rugged nature, you will still want to give it good bed preparation so that it will quickly establish and get happy in your flowerbed.

If you are plagued with tight heavy clay, incorporate three to four inches of organic matter like compost, humus or peat to loosen and improve drainage and aeration. Plant at the same depth they are growing in their container spacing plants 10 to 12 inches apart.

It’s strange to me but in the garden world that I regularly watch, it seems the mixed container or basket has captured the lion’s share of Diamond Snow cultivation. My son, James, however, has rocked the West Georgia world using them in the landscape with Boldly geraniums, Meteor Showers verbena and all varieties of begonias.

Diamond Snow, like its sibling, is virtually pest-free and an absolute environmental wonder to gardeners, even more so when you consider the low water requirement. Overly moist soils and over watering can be fatal. You might think that a plant with this many flowers would need some kind of deadheading, but this is simply not the case as it is self-cleaning and maintenance free. Another outstanding trait is that it is deer resistant which I appreciate as for the first time they have become an issue at The Garden Guy’s house.

The double white flowers, combine with any other color of flower for a dazzling display. Remember all colors look better when paired with white. It can also be used in any style of garden from the tropical to the traditional and in baskets or containers. Use them as a filler plant for a baby’s breath-like look in mixed containers. But don’t forget there is nothing subtle about the display of white.

Whatever excuse you have made for not trying Diamond Snow, make this the year you do. It will be a game changer, whether in the landscape or on the porch, patio or deck. Follow me on Facebook @NormanWinterThe Garden Guy for more photos and garden inspiration.