Bear’s-Breech (Artist’s Acanthus)
Acanthus mollis. ACANTHACEAE.
Planting and Growing Bear’s-Breech
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow bear’s-breech in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Flowers, foliage, and root structure of bear’s-breech
- Plant hardiness and growing conditions for bear’s-breech
- Season of bloom and planting time for bear’s-breech
- When, how deep, and where to plant bear’s-breech
- How to plant bear’s-breech
- Watering, fertilizing, care and pests or diseases of bear’s-breech
- Landscape and container uses of bear’s-breech
- Comments about bear’s-breech and its features
Growing Bear’s-Breech
Several cultivars of mounding, spreading, deciduous perennial herbs, to 3 ft. (90 cm) tall and wide. Shiny, soft-textured, deep green, oval, 5- and 7-lobed, pointed, deeply cut and toothed leaves, to 30 in. (75 cm) long, form a circular, radiating base.
Planting and Care Guide
Blooms
Many pink, purple, white, tubular flowers, to 2 in. (50 mm) long, beneath green bracts, on multiple tall, stout spikes, to 5 ft. (1.5 m) tall, with leaflike bracts between the flowers, in summer.
Best Climates
Tender. Plant as annual, zones 3–6; ground hardy, zones 7–10. Acanthus mollis ‘Latifolius’ is ground hardy, zones 7–8.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained loam. Fertility: Average. 6.5–7.5 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Spring in full sun to full shade, 3 ft. (90 cm) apart.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep evenly moist. Fertilize annually in spring. Protect from frost. Propagate by division, seed.
About This Plant
Good choice for accents, backgrounds, fencelines in shade, woodland gardens. Good for cutting. Disease resistant. Snail, slug susceptible.