This (really) old favorite is a perfect perennial for California

Acanthus towers over the garden.
(Photos: Debbie Arrington)

Acanthus -- or bear's breeches -- towers in the summer garden

By Debbie Arrington

 One plant stands out in my summer garden -- and it's not just the 6-foot-tall flower stalks.

Why do I love acanthus? It's a miracle plant, coming back year after year for decades with absolutely no care -- and not much water, either. Native to North Africa and southern Europe, this Mediterranean perennial thrives in all California conditions, wet year or bone dry. It has no pests, other than an occasional snail, and needs no fertilizer to look its best.

And bees can't resist those crazy flowers.  In search of nectar, they cleverly squeeze past protective spines on the purple bracts to slip inside the silky white petals.

This very old-fashioned favorite also has among the funniest plant nicknames ever coined: bear's breeches. Does that refer to grizzly short pants or bear butt? Those are both possible interpretations of breeches, a word not used much any more. 

Bees like acanthus flowers.

Bears may have rubbed against the prickly flower stalks to relieve a pesky itch. Some folks compare the gigantic black-green leaves to the shape of an ursine backside.

Shiny in the summer shade, the over-sized glossy foliage is handsome as a backdrop to other plants. But in June and July, those blooming spires become garden stars. By early fall, it's all gone. After the long dry summer, the whole plant dies back to the ground and rests. By early spring, it starts sending out new shoots, preparing for another summer spectacular.

That habit of dying back to begin again has made acanthus a centuries-long symbol of rebirth and immortality. It's been used at funerals and a decoration on monuments since at least 450 B.C. In ancient Greece, acanthus leaves topped Corinthian columns as a representation of enduring life. Early Christians used the flowers, covered with sharp spines, as symbols of pain, sin and punishment.

Not sure why it's called bear's breeches,
but it's a great plant.

Evocative of the plant's contrasting nature, its botanical name -- Acanthus mollis -- means "thorny soft." Although it will tolerate full sun, acanthus does best in Sacramento with afternoon shade. In full shade, the flower towers are shorter, about 3 or 4 feet.

Some varieties tend to spread via underground rhizomes, so they do best with barriers (such as in a planter).  After it dies back in fall, acanthus rhizomes can be divided and replanted, much like bearded iris. They need little if any irrigation until new growth appears, then only weekly watering.

Once established, acanthus truly does endure. Just watch out for bears with an itch.