Acanthus, a beautiful flower for flower beds

Share

FacebookWhatsAppEmailInstagram

0

Tall spires of pink, purple or white flowers rise on scapes that top 2 metres, standing out for their unusual shape: acanthus, or bear’s breeches, is a rhizome perennial grown to fill the back of a summer flower bed. Give it full sun and rich, well-drained soil in a spot chosen for good, since it dislikes transplanting, and it flowers all summer.

Its large pink, purple or white panicles are perfect for filling in a flower bed. Care, pruning and planting must all follow good practices to have your acanthus bear very nice flowers.

How to plant Acanthus

Favor planting your Acanthus in spring or in fall taking great care to enrich the soil with soil mix and possibly sand in case of heavy soil or clay.

• Select the location well before planting, because acanthus don’t like being transplanted.
• Also favor a sunny exposure with light shade during the hottest hours.
• Keep a distance of about 24 inches (60 cm) between specimens so that the acanthus may have enough space to grow.

Multiplying Acanthus

Acanthus is a type of plant that is quite easily propagated by sowing seeds or preparing cuttings from its roots.

• Propagation through root cuttings is relatively easy in fall or at the end of winter.
• This renews vigor in older growing clumps.
• Propagation through sowing seeds is done in spring.

When an Acanthus is propagated, it will need 2 to 3 years before blooming again, so it’s perfectly normal if your acanthus doesn’t bloom yet.

Pruning and caring for acanthus

Cut wilted flowers off as they die, this favors the appearance of new buds. It’s a form of deadheading:

No need to pick the many flowers in the column one by one: they’ll all dry out at the same time. When petals have turned brown, cut the entire stem off.

If you let them be, your acanthus will produce seeds and self-sow for the following spring.

In fall, once the foliage has wilted away, cut back as short as you can in late autumn, and protect the foot of the plant with dried leaf mulch for instance.

In areas with mild climates, it’s possible to simply leave your acanthus alone without any type of protection.

Acanthus jobs through the year

Everything acanthus asks for falls at a particular moment of the year. This table sets out each task and the season it belongs to.

Leaving the spent stems standing instead of deadheading simply trades a second flush of buds for self-sown seedlings.

Diseases commonly found on Acanthus

Although acanthus generally resists diseases well, one can nonetheless encounter powdery mildew as a major opponent, as well as slugs and snails that love to nestle between the stalks.

• Powdery mildew appears as a dusty white film on leaves, often on shaded lower foliage but sometimes on upper or new growth, so thinning congested stems improves airflow around the clump.
• Slugs are opportunistic feeders but often damage tender young growth, and they are most active in damp conditions, so it is worth checking plants, including the crown, after rain.
• As a general practice with herbaceous perennials, a winter leaf mulch can also shelter slugs and snails, so gardeners commonly draw it back from the crown once new shoots emerge in spring.
• Rather than leaving autumn prunings and fallen leaves around the base of mildew-affected plants, clear and dispose of them, since some mildew fungi can overwinter in infected debris and reinfect new growth.

All there is to know about Acanthus

Acanthus, the symbol of eternal love, with the curious common name “bear’s breeches”, is native to Africa, Asia and Southern Europe.

It numbers about thirty species which makes for a significant variety of colors, flowers and leaves.

It bears magnificent floral scapes that grow to over 6 ½ feet (2 meters) in height, and they definitely stand out with their original shape.

Acanthus spinosus carries sharply spined leaf tips, so site it away from paths and doorways, while Acanthus mollis has broad, soft-edged leaves that are safe to brush past.