I still remember the very first time I saw one of these plants in a friends garden which was part of the open garden scheme, in Aldgate. I was being shown around this amazingly abundant, verdant green garden, when we came upon these gorgeous plants. The Acanthus Mollis. I fell in love right there and then! I think it was the tall flower spires and the huge green leaves that captured my imagination. She had them planted under the huge oak trees, and they made me feel so small. Like a visitor to wonderland.
Some people think it is a plant that the garden can very well do without. Once the flowers are finished, they will produce seed pods that can be scattered far and wide about the garden, (and the neighbors and the bush and...well...you get the drift) leading to their reputation for being invasive pests. They are also a most hardy, frost tolerant, dry tolerant plant. And this makes them kinda hard to kill, even with weed spray!
That makes it the perfect plant for an average gardener like me!
I have read Acanthus prefer rich fertile soil. (What plant doesn't?) But I have seen one growing in a crack of bitumen, doing very nicely for itself, so I should think it would survive anywhere along the rain belt of SA. Give them a spot in semi shade, a bit of water and love to start them off, and they will be there for years and years to come.
Just a word of advice, the snails and slugs love their leaves, so if you don't mind the holes, it's going to be a keeper. Also be aware of their size. They will grow to more than a meter wide and high, so not really the perfect plant for a courtyard garden. One other thing. Don't forget their natural tendency to self sow. It may be a good idea to remove the spent flower spikes, before they release their seeds and become a pest!
A plant for anyone with a decent sized space. It will impress your friends, (look what it did to me) and they would never guess how easy they are to grow in the first place.
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