Euphorbia robbiae . (Mrs Robb's Bonnet)

An excellent ground-cover plant for shade. Evergreen and well-behaved, so can be trusted to get on with life and steadily spread to form a tufty and textural swathe of shiny green. The ‘phorb clan' is massive, and usually known for being bluish-leaved sun worshippers. Euphorbia robbiae makes a nice change, with deeply green leaves that like shade. There’s one in every family, isn't there? But they still have the distinctive chartreuse blooms of their kin, which look splendid in spring. Happiest in dappled to quite deep shade in dry spots, wet soil will make them miserable and eventually dead. Actually, dry shade can be a pain in the bum so you really need these: they’re great for spaces under low-hanging branches or to fill gaps between and under bigger things where their delicate - but tough - little leaves will keep things looking interesting year-round. Trim off the odd tatty leaf and chop back spent flower stems if you can be bothered, otherwise just leave it be. Perfect.