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 ...

For such an elegant plant in flower, its common name of bear's breeches seems less than suitable. But this rather fanciful name has the merit of being easy to remember. The botanical name of acanthus ...

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 ...

I hope that you have at some time visited our nation’s capital, and that you would have seen the Supreme Court building. It truly is a magnificent structure, and it has a serious history all on its ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Flame Acanthus is a heat-loving hummingbird magnet that brings a fiery color to your garden. Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii is the choice for our area and is on the Permian Basin Master ...

Q: I unwisely planted an acanthus seedling in the shady but damp back corner of a large flower bed. Ten years later, it seems set on world domination! I’ve tried to dig out roots to force it back into ...