Acanthus Summer Beauty Endangered Plants basal green leaves in October

basal green leaves in October

The hairy leaves clothe the upright 6' tall stems that are topped with spectacular purple-and-white velvety flowers from late summer until frost in fall

Hosta 'Love Pat' is still hard to beat

and surrounding Chinese provinces

but it grows in full sun and is native to all but 8 states of the continental United States

Acanthus Summer Beauty Endangered Plants basal green leaves in OctoberWe feel this import by the late Oregon plantsman Chet Tompkins from a gardener in China is one of the finest acanthus on the market. Where Acanthus mollis fails miserably, Acanthus 'Summer Beauty', a hybrid (probably Acanthus mollis x Acanthus hungaricus), grows well in our hot summers. The 4 6' wide clump of giant, glossy, dark green foliage is more cutleaf than typical Acanthus mollis. In June (NC), the tropical looking, deer resistant clumps are