Be aware of that plant as it is very invasive and will seed every where. I just removed it from my garden .

It is very common to have it in gardens here. I am not worried about it being invasive

We dug a ton of ours up because it’s quite invasive and overtook our garden in just over 2 years. The roots were not very deep/wide at all. note, we had same as you. Two bunches in pots and they spread to 1/2 our garden and I’m still pulling up New sprouts Everyday. I’d recommend just digging up a couple and planting, it grows fast and needs very little care hence spreading like crazy.

none were originally planted here, last year we pulled all these out, sorry Houz makes picture landscape instead of portrait

I don't expect you're going to be able to transplant this sprawling specimen successfully, all the more so at this time of the year.

Here in Florida we have a different version of Euphorbia (Crown of Thorns) and we just cut a stem let the milky white flow, put some root starter on the cut and stick them in the groud. They grow like crazy. Prehistoric plant.

Succulent Euphorbia Cuttings

Take cuttings in spring or summer, using a clean sharp knife. If possible, lay the plant on a clean flat surface and use a pulling rather than a pressing motion to remove the cutting. Remove any leaves near the end of the cut stem. Put the cutting in a container of water and wash off all the milky sap. Wear waterproof gloves, protective clothing and safety glasses and avoid getting the latex anywhere on you, since some succulent euphorbias can have highly irritating sap. Wash immediately if it contacts you. You can dust rooting hormone over the freshly cut stem if you want. Put the cutting in a shady place for several days for the wounds to heal, and then put it in a pot containing rooting medium. Bury just enough of the cutting to keep it upright. Cuttings need bright indirect light rather than sunlight until they have rooted. Rooting is often hastened by putting the cuttings on a propagating mat at about 77 degrees Fahrenheit.

How do you propagate Euphorbia Characias?

In spring before the flower buds emerge, take tip cuttings with three pairs of leaves, cutting 1/4 inch below the third set of leaves. Remove the last set of leaves and coat the bottom of the stem with rooting hormone. Put the cutting into moist rooting medium and place it in the shade to root.

Propagating Euphorbia characias is not the issue :-) Where it likes to grow, it will self seed freely. There is never a shortage of these plants. It can also hybridize with other types of hardy euhorbs with some interesting outcomes, so be aware of that.

I tend to agree that transplanting a plant of that size is iffy. And I would not be inclined to do so now, if at all possible. If you can, wait until fall. I collect hardy euphorbias and I also tend to move plants around a lot and IME, euphorbs are just not very receptive to being moved once they have developed much size. And many species, including characias, develop from a single growth point or stem so not easily divided either (in much the same manner a single stemmed shrub cannot be easily divided).

Because a plant has an ability to self seed freely does NOT make it invasive. That term gets tossed around much too freely and it has a very specific definition that Euphorbia characias does NOT meet!!

There is nothing quite like the early spring sight of E. characias wulfenii in full bloom!! Those acid yellow bracts are stunning and a real traffic stopper! But I find not too many gardeners know the best way to prune or manage these beasts. Once a stem has flowered, it will not flower again so once you are tried of looking at the flower bracts (which hold their good looks for several months), cut that stem all the way back to the base of the plant. New growth will already be appearing at the base and these will produce next spring's flowerheads. And if you time this cutting back carefully, you can maximize the plant's floral appeal while at the same time minimizing its ability to reseed quite so freely.

This is not on my yard. I have to dig it up, or what I want of it up, today. That is my only option. It doesn’t matter what time of year would best best as today is my one and only option.

I just want to know how to do that?

Can I take just some of it?

Prepare its new home first. Then dig it up with as large a rootball as you can manage. The root system is not deep but it could be quite wide. The less you disturb or cut off the roots, the less transplant shock the plant will undergo and the easier the transplant process. Plant ASAP, water it in well and hope for the best. Do this as early in the day as possible. And monitor it closely as we move into the upcoming heat wave :-))

Try to take the entire plant. As previously mentioned, this is not something that lends itself easily to division.

Maybe I should let the next person have it then as I don’t have enough space for it all. I was going to put it in a third planter.

I called it invasive because it self seeded all over my garden, and wasn’t prepared for it! I loved the look of it and planted it without reading up on it so it was a lesson learned !

As I mentioned, if you cut back the old flowerheads in a timely manner, the chance of it self seeding aggressively is greatly reduced!

@gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) do you think it is even worth it if I only want 1/2 maybe even 1/4 of this though? I don't have space in my garden for something this big.But I do have a planter, only about 16x16" square but 3 feet tall, that I could put some of it in.

A S, even if you were able to remove and replant only a portion of the plant, it will not stay restricted to that size. It will eventually regrow to the same dimensions it is now, if not larger. That is just the nature of the plant.

I realize that this is a freebie but if you really like the plant but think it is too big, there are smaller cultivars available. Look for 'Humpty Dumpty' or 'Shorty'....both will stay about half the size of the species. Or get one of the popular cultivars of E. xmartinii. These never get huge and are sterile as well so no self seeding!!

Thanks everyone. I can't handle all of it and don't have the space to so I will let the next person grab it as they have more room. We do have two smaller versions of this elsewhere so I know what I'm in for on a very basic basis. Appreciate all the ideas.

The likelihood remains high that anyone attempting to salvage the specimen shown at this time is going to have it collapse and die.

Why do you say that? It’s a hearty plant and it is early spring. Yes we have a bit of a warm spell coming but Vancouver is not hot overall and gets loads of rain.

"Why do you say that? "

Because this is possibly the worst (or close to it) time to move this plant. And as previously stated, not a plant that takes to transplanting well regardless of the season.

Everything I read online, before coming here, said April/May or fall for planting were ideal times. So I’m just a bit surprised at some of the comments here.

Also to be clear, as it seems lost in translation, this plant is being given away to someone happy to take it or thrown out as the current owner doesn’t want it in their garden.

When I asked for help it was on best way to make it happen. I appreciate that feedback. But realistically this plant is coming up regardless of if anyone thinks it is best time and if it will fail. The home owner hates it.

Planting time - taking out of a container and sticking in the ground - is very different from the best time to dig up a well-established plant and move elsewhere. Transplanting - moving from one inground location to another - is a traumatic experience for any plant. It just tends to be much less traumatic if not done at the height of the growing season.

And I don't believe anything was lost in translation :-) Given away or thrown away really makes no difference to the issue.

Totally understand but I was actually reading information about transplanting.

And for some it was lost in translation as suggesting I do this at a different time is completely wasted advice since the plant is out today regardless ;)