Re: Acanthus
- Subject: Re: Acanthus
- From: T* L*
- Date: Sun, 01 Jul 2001 13:33:47 +0100
Pam - Here on the damp West Coast of the UK I've found A.
spinossisimus more troublesome than A. mollis in terms of spreading -
and more tenacious in resisting removal. OTOH, A. s. also seems much
more tolerant of quite deep and dry shade, and is much more controlled
there - so, since it's a plant I'm fond of, despite its unfortunate
habits, that's what I've done with it and where I've placed it. When
it was in a drier and sunnier situation it ran furiously. I got rid of
it in the end, simply by hand-digging out every scrap of root, but it
took a couple of seasons to do it. A. mollis was never much of a
problem, even in sun. I suspect because it needs *more* sun and
lighter soil than I can provide?? It too was moved to a shadier spot
and has been much less happy there than A. s. It survives but is
clearly sulky. This has made me renew my resolution to move it back
into the sun it clearly prefers.
The other acanthus I grow is A. dioscoridis, which I grew from seed
and which I know nothing about. At the moment it's in full sun and
lightish soil and is tending just to sit and think about things. Am I
(as so often) mistreating it out of ignorance? And is it, anyway,
worth growing? It seems to be very seldom grown over here. Too tender?
Or too trashy?
>I am looking for some first-hand information about
>Acanthus, a mediterranean native. I'm particularly
>interested in Acanthus mollis, but info about any of the
>species is welcome.
> The first thing I'd love to know is how often it is
>grown in the various mediterranean climate areas, or, if
>possible, an idea of whether it is held in low, medium,
>or high regard, in these areas, as a garden plant.
> The second thing I'm curious about is its invasiveness
>or, at least, tenacity. What keeps it in bounds besides,
>as one source suggests, an 8 inch deep barrier. (I see
>it growing at the edge of lawns and wonder if it pops up
>in the lawn, but don't see a sign of that.)Has anyone
>dug it and been able to eliminate it? What are the roots
>like? Are there thick bases and then stringy roots? Do
>they make shoots along the extent of horizontal roots?
> Finally, any quirky information learned from growing
>Acanthus is welcome.
>
>Pam Peirce
>San Francisco
>USDA Zone 10, Sunset Zone 17
>
>
Tim Longville
