Acanthus sennii - 2014 (close-up)

• 7 Oct, 2014
• 7 likes

How many plants from Ethiopia are hardy enough to grow in the UK? This one is. Although a shrub, it acts more as a perennial in our climate, growing from the base each year. It needs all the sun it can get, and a fiercely drained soil. The flowers arrive late in the autumn if at all - it needs a hot summer to coax it into flower. The leaves are viciously spined, but I think it's worth growing for the foliage alone. Now in its second year, it's four feet tall and about three across.