Bear's Breeches 'Summer Beauty' Acanthus 'Summer Beauty'
- Phonetic Spelling
- ah-KAN-thus
- Description
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Bear's Breaches 'Summer Beauty' is a clumping perennial cultivar that is a cross between Acanthus mollis x Acanthus spinosus. The large dark green leaves add a tropical look while the spikes of white and purple flowers add a bold vertical statement. It is more tolerant of heat and humidity than its parents. Resistant to browsing from rabbits and deer. The plant spreads by creeping roots.
Plant in full sun to partial shade in well-drained soil. It can tolerate a wide variety of soil types except for wet ones. Use their bold shape as a specimen plant or in small groups in borders or formal gardens. Be sure to plant them where you want them as they can be hard to eradicate once established. Each little piece of root can make a plant.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Juniper Level Botanic Gardens: Part Sun-Part Shade Gardens
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Acanthus
- Family:
- Acanthaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Root Cutting
- Wildlife Value:
- Resistant to rabbits and deer
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Perennial
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Texture:
- Coarse
- Appendage:
- Spines
- Thorns
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Cream/Tan
- Purple/Lavender
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Spike
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Good Cut
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Lipped
- Flower Petals:
- Bracts
- fused petals
- Flower Description:
- Large spikes of creamy white resemble hooded snapdragons with spiny purple bracts extend above the leaves 4'-6' in the air
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Glossy
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Rosulate
- Leaf Margin:
- Lobed
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The leaves are up to 2 feet long, deeply lobed and glossy green with soft spines. The basal foliage grows in a rosette.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- 4-6 ft tall thick flower stem
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Container
- Patio
- Landscape Theme:
- Cutting Garden
- English Garden
- Design Feature:
- Accent
- Border
- Small groups
- Specimen
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Rabbits
- Problems:
- Spines/Thorns
