A dramatic foliage plant, Acanthus spinosus -- Bear's Breeches -- is impressive in flower, too. Deeply cut, thistlelike leaves form a sculptural mound in full sun or partial shade. Both the bold, vertical spikes of white flowers, which are hooded by spiny, reddish purple bracts, and their seedpods are valuable for cutting.
Appreciation for Acanthus, a genus of about 30 Old World species of perennials and small shrubs, dates back to the ancient Greeks, who used the handsome, lobed leaves as the pattern for the Corinthian order on columns. Plants form imposing, generally evergreen mounds that produce grand spikes of hooded blooms in early to midsummer. Grow in full sun or partial shade (required in the South) and moist but well-drained soil. Hardiness is a vexing question. We've opted, as usual, to be conservative, but experimentation with this dramatic group can yield impressive rewards.
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