May 9th, 2003
Acanthus mollis
2003-05-09. Acanthus mollis. Austin, Texas. (zone 8)
Everyone who visits my garden in April or May is stopped dead in their tracks by Acanthus mollis. It’s so big. And it’s floral spike is bizarre and somewhat menacing.
Acanthus mollis is not really a good landscape plant in Austin, although it can be useful if you have a very shady site. It needs lots of water. As soon as the temperatures reach the 90s, it wilts and looks about as attractive as cooked spinach. Once the summer gets really hot, it fades away leaving a big hole in the border design. But when temperatures cool off in the fall, it’s back again. Fall and winter (if it’s not too cold) are it’s best seasons. In spring, the leaves are often ravaged by spring cankerworms and whatever beetles are about.
It’s one tough plant, though, and keeps coming back despite my neglect. People in more temperate climate consider it a pest.
2003-05-09. Acanthus mollis. Austin, Texas. (zone 8)
by M Sinclair Stevens in Austin, Texas
May 30th, 2003
I planted an Acanthus mollis a few weeks ago but it still doesn’t grow much. It has been very wet during May in the Netherlands but now we have very hot weather. I really hope my Acanthus mollis will be so beautiful as yours in the future.
July 17th, 2003
Was surfing to find into on Acanthus mollis and lucked into your site. I’ve lived in Austin for 46 years now (Bubbaland for the last 6). My garden area here has an awful lot of shade, also. House was built in the 1950s and has three mature trees…a real blessing in this heat. This is the second summer for my acanthus plants and they send up their spikes for the first time this year. Awesome, indeed.
Was able to provide lots of water last year, so they weren’t very “droopy.. This year I’m rather housebound with a broken fibula and torn ligaments, so depend on hubby to water…thus, the droopy acanthus plants.
We were wondering if the plants died after flowering, and perhaps self-seeding, or what. Hope not ‘cuz they are gorgeous huge plants. Please let me hear from you concerning your experience with them.
Enjoy your site and will drop in again, very soon!
December 14th, 2003
I have always considered it to be a big pretty weed. In southern California, I have one growing in a secluded part of my yard. Little summer sun, never watered in the summer. In November-December has brilliant green foliage and in spring sends up the central stalks. In summer, it dies off and I mow it down with the lawn mower clear to ground level. Comes back up every year. I starting to become fond of it now.
January 11th, 2004
We have a bunch of Acanthus mollis in our garden in the San Francisco Bay Area and I have come to loathe the plant. It spreads like crazy and has infested every part of the garden. Nothing grows nearby as it sucks up all the water. I have been trying to get rid of it by digging it up but out of every last little piece of root a new plant grows (I have been digging up the same spot three or four times now and each and every time I come away with buckets full of roots). I am about ready to hit back with chemical means because I want it out of my garden, all of it and soon.
Any suggestions on how to get rid of this sucker are highly welcome!
2004-01-12
I visited San Francisco last summer and saw an amazing stand of Acanthus mollis in Golden Gate Park. One gardener’s weed is another gardener’s treasure, although that seems to depend on how difficult it is to grow the plant. Here, Acanthus mollis is a bit of a challenge because of the heat. I guess you can put up with months of heat, humidity, and rainlessness (as we do in Austin) to keep Acanthus under control, or live in a cool, pleasant clime and be besieged with it.
The best advice to you, therefore, would come from a gardener in San Francisco area. — mss
February 1st, 2004
I’m surfing the web right now to find a way of getting rid of this weed, and came upon your site.
We have one of these monsters in our backyard, no matter what we do it seems to have taken out a mortgage on that patch of ground. Adding to my woes is the fact that I made the mistake of moving some soil around the garden… guess what? baby acanthus all over. The guy that owned the house before us said he had been trying to get rid of it for 20 years.
Chemicals are a way to go. Anybody have any ideas to help a Desperate Aussie?
Oh… and I know that there are some folks out there who think this is a nice plant… well each to his own.
May 27th, 2004
Im amazed reading some of these comments. I live in the UK. I have four a.mollis that hardly grow despite tlc and plenty of pleading. They are considered quite exotic here, also rare. Very few people have them!
Both of my a.spinoza are going to oblige me with a flower after just planting them last autumn. I love acanthus more than any other plant in the garden. And if they want to seed all over the garden–well what is it you Americans say–”Bring it on!!”
Where in the UK? My husband is from Cheshire (southwest of Manchester). I love A. mollis, too; it’s big-leaved and tropical-looking with faintly sinister flowers. It’s blooming right now, but as the temperatures have finally reached the 90s, the leaves are beginning to wilt. It won’t last much longer this season, but it will come back in the fall when the temperatures drop. I think the people who dislike it live in the cool, wet Northwest. — mss
March 4th, 2005
When I first moved into my home in Oregon, I didn’t know what it was. It reminded me of the plant from the Little Shop of Horrors, it just didn’t want to die or go away. It was in a separate bed next to a concrete sidewalk and the roots grew under the sidewalk.
I don’t have a solution. Just be careful where you plant this one.
March 15th, 2005
My parents have an Acanthus mollis growing under an oak tree in Healdsburg, CA, and it’s been there for decades. It spreads only a little every year. They never water it (one doesn’t water under oak trees), and it grows big and green just as soon as the rains start in the fall, flowers in the late spring and dies back to nothing in the heat of the summer. They literally do NO maintenance. It’s a truly spectacular plant, and I can’t recommend it enough for creating that lush, green look under oak trees. You have to be comfortable with the look of the summer die-back, but if you’ve come to appreciate native plants out here, that’s just part of the package and part of the seasons.
May 30th, 2005
I am starting to feel a little apprehensive now about the Acanthus mollis that I just stuck into my bog garden. I live in Atlanta and asked the nursery man if it was invasive. He said “No, it just forms a nice clump.. I am going to hunt him down if it goes bamboo on me. I already have a nice spread of horesetail reed grass (scorpiodes equestriae) that I have to keep an eye on. I’ m hoping that the hot and humid weather here will keep it under control. I keep the area pretty moist. Of course, it is not too late to move it to a different area–like behind my pool pump where hardly nothing else will grow and let it spread all it wants to. Any suggestions?
I also scored a “Summer Beauty” acanthus which is a hybrid of the mollis and the spinosus. Apparently, it comes from a garden in China and is more heat tolerant and slightly smaller (3′x3′)but still produces a tall flower. Y’ all should snag one if you ever come across one.
June 9th, 2005
I have read that “after flowering, explosive pods scatter seeds over a wide area…” Are these pods on the flower spikes? If not, where are they and what do they look like.
Have ‘Summer Beauty’ in a large planter to prevent root spread but would also like to insure against spreading from exploding seed pods. Would appreciate any info on this.
To my knowledge, mine has never set seed. I think it gets too hot in Austin just as the A. mollis is flowering. I’ve never seen any exploding seedpods (except on bluebonnets). And no little seedlings have popped up nearby. — mss
March 7th, 2006
Is the Acanthus mollis deer resistant in Central Texas?
According to G. S. Thomas in “Perennial Garden Plants”, deer tend to stay away from acanthus in general. I can’t say from experience because I don’t have deer. In my garden, it’s the hot temperatures that make this plant ratty from May to October. — mss
April 11th, 2006
My Acanthus is wonderful. Today, I noticed spikes peeking above the foliage. After the spikes die, my plant dies completely back and immediately leaves begin coming back. Except for those few weeks, it is green and lush the rest of the year. Bugs don’t bother it. And I dig up the babies I don’t want and add them to the compost pile.
May 6th, 2006
I really need to get rid of these monsters. Does anyone have any idea? My monsters are popping up some 20 metres away from the parent plant! I have dug, I have poisoned, and I have dispaired, short of covering the whole garden in concrete and using it as a carpark, I am at a loss for ideas.
May 6th, 2006
Has anyone in the Seattle area had any experience with this plant? Any problem with it being invasive?
June 14th, 2006
Ronn, re your question about Seattle experience: I’m searching for more info because of short Q&A in The Seattle Times this morning. There was no mention of invasiveness, but I’m still leary. It’s at the following link. The author may be able to help with more info.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/homegarden/2003059250_gardeneaston14.html
And Liz from Great Britain: I appreciate your humor, but only some Americans say “Bring it on!.
June 27th, 2006
My acanthusis is magnifisent. It has large healthy tall flowers and is looking most majestic. However the leaves are covered with what looks like a white fungus.
Any suggestions?
July 16th, 2006
I absolutely adored my “Bear Claw”, aka Greek pattern plant, even though my visiting sister from New Zealand made the sign of the cross with her fingers to ward of it’s evil. She did that when she saw my oxalis too. I moved and took one of the bear claws with me. It did not like it under my new oaks west of town. The thin leaf mulch above limestone was not its cup of tea. I gave it 2 years and then sent it back to an old neighbor in the old hood who absolutely adores it. Is happy as can be now but not greedy as they are in California. Did I say, that I absolutely adore them.
September 11th, 2006
I live near Seattle and have it in my garden. From everything I’ve read (and experienced) it is not considered invasive here. It is tolerant to zone 7 and prefers a hotter, same dryness, summer than we usually experience. This summer was considerably hotter (many days well into the 80’s rather than our typical 70’s) and has not gone wild. I also have have acanthus spinosus which seems hardier and perfers more sun.
September 29th, 2007
I live in San Antonio. I’ve been browsing this great blog.
Having heard that acanthis mollis can’t tolerate our heat, I didn’t give them a second thought.
But, gosh, I’m always looking for something that will grow in the winter!!!! (Especially something that looks a bit on the exotic side!!)
October 28th, 2007
I have been looking for deer resistant plants to start from seed and acathus mollis was one recommended. I bought seed and am now wondering after reading thru the posts, if this should be direct sown. I hope to grow this plant here in Chicago, IL and in Aurora, KY. Chicago is Zone 5; Aurora Zone 6. Both areas get hot and humid in the summer but KY can get over 90 degrees. From the photo I’ve seen the plant and it looks stunning to me. I use soaker hoses with timers in both areas to keep the gardens watered. Any suggestions on growing from seed will be appreciated.
I’ve not grown Acanthus mollis from seed. I bought the original plant and then have made divisions. Can anyone else help Rose out? — mss
April 9th, 2008
Will this Acanthus perform if kept in container? I have a place near a doorway I’d like to place it if it will do well in a large pot..and what size would be best. Can it be contained…or will it bust out the sides..lol!
I’ve never grown one in a container so I do not speak from experience. However, it doesn’t grow very fast so it should be feasible. It offsets, though. Seems to me that when it got a bit big you could just repot it and put the babies in their own pot. The biggest it’s gotten in the ground in Austin is about 3 feet wide and 2 1/2 feet tall. That’s because the heat cuts it down when it gets in the 90s. However, I’ve seen it much larger (4 or 5 feet) in San Francisco where the summers are cool. It’s comparable to a philodendron. — mss
June 6th, 2008
i have 3 acanthus in a nice shady spot in my backyard. 2 have “bloomed” and the other has a spike just beginning. my problem is that all of the leaves are turning yellow & falling off. any clue as to what’s going on?
July 7th, 2008
WOW! Thank goodness I found out what my plant is. We were landscaping new home and I bought a group of plants, several listed for shady areas. Hubby threw away the tag that told its name, and we’ve been trying to find out what it is since first of spring. We planted it under a clump of root bound trees. A flower spike began to grow in the middle of the beautiful green foliage and reached almost five feet. It is now middle of July and the leaves are just now turning yellow and the flower is dying. Our friends could not believe how beautiful it was. Until I read this web page I had no idea what to do with it and am glad I didn’t dig it up. We will keep watering (it requires a lot) and let it run its course by wilting, growing or whatever it desires. We love it and actually hope it will produce babies. So far I haven’t seen this happening but will let you know, that is if it returns in the fall or spring. Thanks for a great web site.
July 16th, 2008
HELP!! I’ve just bought 5 seeds. Thank goodness I have come across this discussion site as now I think I will place this magnificent looking plant in pots at the back of the bed.. I have enough problems with stubborn weeds spreading thru the flower bed without Acanthus Mollis stunning tho it may be.
July 22nd, 2008
I’ve had an acanthus in a large pot for 3 years now but it has not flowered yet. It also gets droopy in the hot sun and then some of the leaves wilt and/or get yellow. I love the leaf size and shape but not much else is happening here, although i’ve noticed it seems to have divided itself into 3 clumps. it sits on the deck where it gets sun for only a couple of hours and then mostly filtered but bright light. Any thoughts on why it won’t flower?
August 16th, 2008
Mesmerized by this acanthus mollis, bear’s breeches, oyster plant with great art history,I bought 20 divisions (flat rate box for 100.00)last fall, large and small and potted them all immediately. Amazing great immediate foliage growth in weeks - 100% success and the largest of the bunch had to grand spikes this spring….the two spikes are full of seeds and I expect the other 19 to produce next spring as they gain foliage ground this fall. I think I will resale them after reading this post and keep one or two in a large pot on a concrete slab so I don’t have the nightmare I am hearing through the text or plant them down a hillside that is neglected and native and see what happens maybe it will weed out the pampas grass, fennel and baby eucalyptus trees?
I understand chemicals do not work…digging and throwing away the dirt is the only cure up to about 1.5-2 feet deep. Good Luck