Wood Spurge

Wood Spurge is what happens when someone decides that shady spots need their own personal lighting system. This perennial creates glowing displays of chartreuse-yellow bracts that seem to emit their own light, brightening up dark corners with an almost supernatural glow that makes you wonder if someone snuck tiny LED lights into your garden.

The "flowers" are actually specialized leaves called bracts that surround the tiny true flowers, but honestly, the botanical technicalities don't matter when you're dealing with something this visually striking. Those bright yellow-green bracts appear in spring and last for months, creating a long-lasting display that gets more impressive as the plant matures.

What makes Wood Spurge truly valuable is its ability to thrive in challenging shady conditions where most flowering perennials would sulk and eventually give up. This European native has naturalized throughout parts of North America, proving its adaptability and toughness. It's also evergreen in mild climates, providing year-round structure and winter interest.

The foliage is attractive even when the plant isn't in "bloom," with neat rosettes of dark green leaves that create good ground cover. Wood Spurge self-seeds readily but isn't aggressive, gradually creating larger colonies that provide more impact over time. The milky sap can be irritating to skin, so it's best admired rather than handled. You'll find this chartreuse charmer adding bright color and reliable performance to our median plantings, proving that the right plant can literally light up any space.