Each year Acanthus mollis returns to gardens in Redlands. In fact, their familiar leaves are already popping up in some yards. Acanthus mollis, commonly called bear’s breeches, is one of the great ...

Imagine a plant in your garden that resembles a living sculpture and dates back before the 4th century B.C.! Its name is acanthus, and it’s possible. Commonly called bear’s breech, leaves of this ...

As a second generation native of dry Los Angeles, the plants that stand out in my memory are those that have survived our periodic droughts. Many of these were remnants of earlier eras — first the ...

When I look at the Acanthus plants in my garden, I think of the TV detective, Adrian Monk, and how he described his amazing analytical skill: “It’s a gift…and a curse.” That phrase also neatly ...

Acanthus spinosus. Acanthus is native to the Mediterranean area. It takes its name from the Greek word akantha, which means spike or thorn. Greek myth has it that the god Apollo was besotted with a ...

We are embarking on a new 26-month-long series at the request of readers and school teachers alike. Back by popular demand, The Architects’ Alphabet will offer a fresh new vocabulary. We will explore ...

As I’m a second-generation native of dry Los Angeles, the plants that stand out in my memory are those that have survived our periodic droughts. Many of these were remnants of earlier eras – first the ...

The statuesque Acanthus spinosus makes one of the finest silhouettes in the winter garden. Sturdy stems carry a whorl of 30 or so flowers, each capable of producing a shiny, rich-brown, elliptical ...

At the first blink of warmth, my beautiful acanthus is covered in mouldy white spots (black underneath) that kill the leaves, attracting snails, which then eat the few surviving leaves. Should I admit ...