Meet Euphorbia Va Va Voom™ – a robbiae with oomph

Some plants are dainty and reserved, while others scream and shout. Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae Va Va Voom™ (SHEEN01) is neither. No, this is a plant that calmly yet confidently does its thing without demanding attention, winning hearts and minds without anyone noticing.

This is a tough, resilient, and beautiful new launch for 2026, which will bring gumption to any planting scheme.

Va Va Voom™ is, quite simply, the best form of robbiae we’ve ever grown. Selected for its robust character and exceptional branching, Va Va Voom™ forms a handsome, spherical mound of evergreen foliage. If you’ve ever grown Euphorbia robbiae, you’ll know it can form a good mat of ground cover, but branching can be an issue and it can easily look untidy.

Va Va Voom™ solves that with outstanding branching, which is one of the reasons it forms such a lovely, rounded shape. Don’t believe us? Take a look at the photo below, which shows normal robbiae on the left, and Va Va Voom™ on the right.

An easy plant for difficult spots

Offering excellent ground cover for both gardens and public landscapes, we’ve even been growing it in a container in the PFE Garden, which is highly effective. Planting in a large pot on either side of a front door (often a dry and shady spot) would make a handsome welcome.

Once established, Va Va Voom™ shrugs off damp and dry alike. It thrives in full sun, dappled shade, and even those tricky dry shade corners that many plants struggle in. And when spring arrives? It lights up dark spaces with many more flower spikes than you’d expect from typical robbiae. The flowers arrive with a bang, as a vibrant lemon-lime haze covers the plant. Remaining on the plant, the flower spikes fade to a toasted orange, before they’re usually snipped off to once again appreciate the foliage.

Va Va what? The story behind the name

Together with breeder, Chris Sheen, we chose Va Va Voom™ because this plant has presence. It’s vigorous. It’s architectural. It has oomph – the kind of variety that becomes indispensable.

It’s a brilliant partner for hardy Geraniums, Pulmonaria, and other shade‑tolerant perennials, offering a rich green backdrop that allows showier plants to shine. In modern designs and public gardens, it will bring structure, resilience, and year‑round interest with (almost) no maintenance.

Why this plant deserves your attention

• Tough and resilient – thrives in a variety of settings and soils
• Handsome evergreen foliage – glossy, architectural and excellent branching
• Compact height of ~45cm – neat, spherical, and beautifully shaped
• Showy spring flowers – bright, uplifting and generous
• Naturally spherical habit – perfect for modern design lines and soft structure

We may be biased, but honestly, this is a plant that works hard, looks good, and asks for very little in return.

Ready to trial Euphorbia Va Va Voom™?

If you’d like to bring this variety into your trials or planting schemes, we’d be delighted to help.

• Available from Walter Blom Plants as URC and plugs.
• Speak to Plants for Europe to discuss sourcing, trialling, or adding Va Va Voom™ to your 2027/8 programme.