I have a rainbow spurge that doesn't seem to want to grow. It is turning red in color and drooping. I watered it every other day for a week and a half, then did not water it for a few days. Then we received about 3 inches of rain in two days and that is when it started going bad. This is the second spurge I have planted in this spot. It is planted in an area that is shaded until about 1:00 PM and then is in full afternoon sun. I have another spurge that is planted in the same area about 3 feet away and it seems to be doing just fine (is green and healthy looking). Any suggestions on what I may be doing wrong or what i can do different to keep this spurge?

Answer #1 · Brent Wilson's Answer · Are you sure you didn't pay a visit to my back deck?:-) At this very moment, I have the same exact problem with the same exact plant in the same exact sun exposure as yours! Only mine is growing in a container. The foliage on mine is turning red in color as well so my first thought was that it was a temperature thing, because this spurge changes color when the weather gets cooler. But its been nothing but hot since mid-May so this couldn't be the problem. My guess is that it's caused from a problem with the roots due to moisture. I usually don't water the plants on our back deck...my wife does that...but she's been out of town for a week and I've been doing the watering. I'm afraid I might have watered too much, but she has some other plants combined with it that were wilting in the heat so I've watered it every day for about 5 days now. Spurge, or Euphorbia as I call them, are very drought tolerant plants when established so I think I've over watered our plant? Regarding your plant, I would check the soil in the area where the one is looking bad. If it's too moist, I'd say it's a moisture problem. If root rot has set in, there's not much that can be done to save the plant. If that spot holds too water you might have to improve the drainage. Maybe raise the soil in the spot and try replanting the sickly spurge to see if it will respond well.)