Euphorbia maculata is growing all over my succulent garden, spreading so much that it's covered the pea gravel completely in some spots.



And I'm finding Scarlet Pimpernel growing very close to many of the plants, in some cases right next to their main stems.



What I would like to know:

- If I let the Euphorbia maculata continue to spread and cover the gravel, would it help keep the ground cooler in the hottest months? Will it be harmful to the succulents? Will it make the whole area look matted and unkempt as it continues to grow? I've always pulled it so I have no idea how good/bad it can look once established.

- The Scarlet Pinpernel is very pretty when blooming but is it beneficial in any way?

Euphorbia maculata - I have a hate/hate relationship with this one. Mostly hate.

Scarlet Pimpernel has a book named after it. That must count for something. Poisonous if you (or your cow/goat/horse) eat it.

I find both annoyingly invasive. Give them an inch and they'll take your yard.

I find both invasive, the Euphorbia far worse in that respect. I try to have a zero tolerance policy towards that Euphorbia in the landscape (when I see it, I pull it) because it spreads incredibly fast once it is established in a given location. I particularly loathe it in containers where I am growing extra spiny cacti, where I have to go after it with surgical instruments (long nosed tweezers) in order to avoid personal injury.

yes very big FOE get rid of it if you can

That scarlet pimpernel is gorgeous!
I'd keep it if I had it in my garden...

The spotted spurge? Not so much.

There has to be something admirable about a plant that will grow in the extreme conditions that this plant does, so... That seems better than bare baked earth...
God didn't create weeds...

And still... I'm not a fan of spurge.