In the landscape
Accent · Barrier · Border · Container · Houseplant · Drought tolerant
Data sources
Crown of Thorns
Euphorbia milii · Shrub
Crown of Thorns is a shrub, hardy in USDA zones 10-12, that matures to about 3–6 ft × 1.5–3 ft. It does best in full sun with low water needs in well-drained and occasionally-dry soil. Expect yellow, green and red blooms in fall, spring, summer and winter. It stands up well to deer, drought and dry soil and grows happily in containers.
- USDA zones
- 10-12
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Low
- Mature size
- 3–6 ft × 1.5–3 ft
- Spacing
- 3–6 ft
- Maintenance
- Medium
- Soil
- Well-drained, Occasionally-dry
- Foliage
- Green
- Bloom color
- Yellow, Green, Red
- Bloom season
- Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter
- Tough against
- Deer, Drought, Dry soil, Pollution, Rabbits
- Watch out for
- Can irritate skin on contact, Spines and thorns
- Toxic to
- People, Children, Dogs, Cats, Horses
- Native to
- Madagascar
Will it survive your winters?
We score Crown of Thorns’s freeze-trouble range against the real coldest nights your area has recorded.
Powered by ~35 years of daily lows from the nearest NOAA weather station. A risk read, not a guarantee — a sheltered spot or mature plant beats the odds.
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