Soft acanthus(Acanthus mollis) is a majestic perennial with a rosette of large, cut leaves and an impressive spike inflorescence. Extremely hardy and easy to grow, unfortunately it can also be invasive. See whatcultivating acanthus in the gardenlooks like and what requirements this plant has. We also present the most beautifulvarieties of soft acanthusrecommended for home gardens!
Soft acanthus - Acanthus mollis
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What does a soft acanthus look like?
Soft acanthus(Acanthus mollis) is a worldwide perennial belonging to the acanthus family (Acanthaceae).Soft acanthus appeared in cultivation in the mid-16th century. It is one of the most original garden plants. Large (up to 60 cm long), deeply notched, serrated, shiny acanthus leaves form a dense rosette, from which a long (up to 100 cm) inflorescence shoot emerges.Two-colored flowers of soft acanthusare gathered in a showy, loose, long spike, appearing in the period from July to August.
This majestic plant is valued both for its large, often mosaic-colored leaves and candelabras of showy flowers.Soft acanthus looks attractiveplanted both individually and in group plantings, where the structure of its openwork leaves can be better seen.
Where to plant soft acanthus?
The acanthus is a branchy plantthat needs a lot of space around it and, due to its size, goes well with other branchy plants such as Lindheimer gaura and tall ornamental grasses.Beautiful and long acanthus inflorescences look great among yellow-green algae or golden varieties of garden yarrow. Acanthus inflorescences are suitable for fresh and dry bouquets. The soft acanthus is a valuable honey plant.
In the case ofplanting several acanthus in the groupthe recommended spacing between plants is 60-80 cm.
Good to know!
Soft acanthus creates a very deep and strong root system and is able to dominate the immediate area, displacing other plants. To prevent this, the area to be planted with acanthus should be limited by separators. You can dig, for example, a plastic root barrier.
Soft acanthus - varieties
Soft acanthus 'Tasmanian Angel'- this variety is characterized by large leaves with a white and green mosaic pattern. The soaring inflorescences are white and pink. The plant grows to about 100 cm in height. It looks beautiful as a solitaire.
Soft acanthus 'White Water'- grows up to about 120 cm high and 90 cm wide. The large leaves are shiny, green, and streaked with cream streaks and spots. From June to August, we can admire the 40 cm long ears of cream-pink color. They are suitable for cut flowers and for drying.
Soft acanthus 'Hollard's Gold'- this variety grows up to 120 cm in height. It is characterized by yellow-green leaves and white-purple inflorescences. Withstands temperature drops down to -10 ° C.
Soft acanthus 'Rue Ledan'- this is a magnificent plant with exceptionally dense, white-pink inflorescences and a compact habit. It is distinguished by wide leaves forming a dark green thicket.
Soft acanthus 'Summer Beauty'- with vivid green leaves, blooms in summer with double-lip flowers in white and purple color. It grows up to 50 cm high and 100 cm wide.
Soft acanthus flowers
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Soft acanthus - cultivation and requirements
Akanthus is a relatively undemanding plantIt can cope with almost any soil, although it grows best in fertile and humus soil. It does not tolerate cold, wet and heavy soils. It is not particularly sensitive to soil pH, although it prefers those with a pH close to neutral - pH 6.5-7.5.
The acanthus likes a quiet, sunny or semi-shaded positionThe optimal temperature for growing this plant is 18 - 27 ° C in summer and 16 - 17 ° C in winter. For this reason, it is often grown in containers, brought to the garden in the summer season, and when the onset of cold weather, it is moved to the house or greenhouse.
Characteristic leaves of soft acanthus
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Acantas are undemanding to cultivation , and the rules of their care are simple and do not require special skills. During the growing season it is necessary to remove weeds and loosen the soil.Once grown, acanthus are very drought tolerant. However, in the initial period of cultivation, they should be watered regularly, especially in hot weather.
The acanthus does not require intensive fertilization , especially when planted in fertile soil. From March to August, plants can be fertilized every two weeks with a universal multi-component mineral fertilizer or with an organic fertilizer. In both spring and autumn, the soil around the plant can be mixed with compost.
To keep the plant attractive for as long as possible, regularlyremove dried acanthus inflorescencesand dry or rotten leaves.If we grow plants in the ground, cover them with agrotextile, dry straw, peat, tunis or other covering material for the winter.
Good to know!
If winter has been too long or spring has been extremely cool, the acanthus may not bloom in that year. In such a situation, it remains to wait for the flowers until the next year.
Soft acanthus - reproduction
The easiest way to propagate acanthus by seedsBefore sowing, stratify them for 3 days by soaking in warm water. We sow into boxes filled with a substrate for seeding to a depth of 1 cm. Cover the boxes with foil or glass and place them in a warm, dark room. After 7-10 days, the seeds will germinate, and then the seedlings are transplanted into separate pots. You can also sow seeds directly into the ground in autumn. Plants propagated with this method will bloom after 2-3 years.
You can alsopropagate acanthus by shoot cuttingsIn spring, take 10-15 cm long sections of the shoot, leaving only the upper leaves. Place the cuttings in containers with moist sand, cover them with foil or glass and place them in a warm place with a temperature of 20-25 ° C. The cuttings will take root quite quickly and after 2-3 weeks we can plant them permanently in the garden.
Propagating acanthus by root cuttingsis the easiest way to reproduce.In spring, we separate a thick fragment of the fleshy root and divide it into pieces 5-8 cm long. Cut the upper end horizontally and the lower end diagonally to facilitate identification. A wide, sufficiently large box is filled with a mixture of peat and coarse sand and the cuttings are placed in it with a horizontal cut upwards. After the appearance of 3-4 pairs of proper leaves, we can plant the plants permanently. In the garden, acantas are best planted in spring or autumn.
MSc Eng. Anna Błaszczak
