Acanthus

Whilst it is not uncommon to come across I do love this acanthus, and have one as a focal point in my own garden. I like to keep the foliage well trimmed after the flower spikes have emerged just to reduce the overall size whilst keeping enough so that the stems are covered. When in flower the bees are all over it and it can self seed quite prolifically so if you want to avoid this remove flower spikes as soon as they start to fade in late summer. The name Acanthus comes from the Greek word akantha, meaning “thorn” or “prickle”, whilst mollis means “soft” as the leaves are completely soft to the touch, however the bracts of the flowers do have firm points.