donkey

Someone once said that if you don't like someone, just give them time. If then you still don't like them, give them more time. They said that the only reason you don't like them is that you haven't given them enough time. Maybe to some degree, the same goes for plants.

I have to admit that I have never been very fond of Euphorbia myrsinites. Although I appreciate the snake-like rambling of the stems, the spiral arrangement of the blue leaves, and the showy chartreuse bracts,  I've been disappointed with the low stature, and the brief duration of the bracts. In comparison to the several months of color that E. characias gives, E. myrsinites only has a few weeks before the bracts fade to orange-ish and fall apart. Then there is the common name: Donkey spurge. Seriously. I mean seriously? I'm not sure why it is called that, and I'm not sure I want to know. In my neighborhood, it is one of the non-native plants that survive without irrigation, and self-seeds well, coming up in cracks in the sidewalk and in other people's gardens. This makes me worry about its potential for invasiveness.

But in my neighbor's front yard (above), it has made a low care, low water groundcover which is quite attractive right now. Up close (below), it is even nicer. I saw it and couldn't help but say, "H-E-Y   D-O-N-K-E-Y!" a la Shrek. More reason for my neighbors to think I'm a freak.