I am entranced by the names chosen for plants. In fact, I have been known to buy plants just because of their whimsical names, though it is flowers that mainly get my attention.
Last Spring I received a lovely gift from my friend Marie Louise. It was a plant that had been ordered from White Flower Farm, a euphorbia cultivar named ‘Cherry Cobbler'. A native of South Africa it is not hardy in my climate so is grown as a house plant.
In May, I put this plant on my north-facing outside porch. The plant's tag said that it enjoyed hot, dry conditions, and this past summer this is exactly what it got. Nevertheless, it flowered continuously all summer and early fall, and was still flowering when I took it indoors for the winter. The blooms are the most cheerful cherry red, so the name is perfectly descriptive and hummingbirds love it.
It is truly an easy and rewarding potted plant, and I sure hope that it keeps blooming indoors as long as possible. The one downside is that it has big thorns, but I have been able to live with that. After all, I am sometimes a bit prickly myself.