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Sow Acanthus mollis in autumn

Sow Acanthus mollis in autumn

No Mediterranean or coastal garden is complete without Acanthus plants.  Favoured by the Greeks for their beautiful leaves and unusual flowers, they are still popular today, and for good reason.  Being very hardy, they can be grown right across the UK in most gardens. They are great coastal plants, tolerating high winds, salt spray and hot summers.  

Autumn is a good time to sow Acanthus seeds if you have a greenhouse or windowsill to get them started.  Acanthus seeds are unusual as they dry out quickly after ripening in late summer and are difficult to store for more than 6-12 months.  We keep ours in a sealed container in a fridge and don’t keep them for more than one season, preferring to sow them fresh off the plants in the autumn.
 Seeds

These large seeds germinate well in the lower temperatures of autumn and grow fast once germinated, which only takes 2-3 weeks.  Spring is also a good time if seeds are still plump and not dried out.  As seen below, we sowed the first batch of seeds in a pot and the plants are growing so well they are crowding each other already. 
 Seedlings

The small plants need no special treatment other than giving them some protection until the weather warms up in spring when they can be re-potted or planted out after hardening off.  Flowering may start next summer, but more likely the summer after.

Update 3 weeks later on the seedlings just emerging above.  See below for a lovely healthy seedling in the process of being re-potted.  These seedlings are growing beautifully in an unheated greenhouse, with no problems from any pests or diseases.  I love the way the light reflects on the shiny leaves.  Reminds me of Chatham Island Forget-Me-Nots, one of New Zealand's most lovely mega-herbs - more to come on this next year!  Autumn really is a great time to sow and grow Acanthus plants in Cornwall. 
 Acanthus seedling 3 weeks later in the process of being re-potted

See more on sowing and growing Acanthus.

These now available to buy as plants in 8cm pots.

Created On  12 Nov 2018 15:27  -  Permalink

Comments

This was very helpful! Planning to try this spring with seeds I will by buy online from the biggest seed company here in Sweden. Will be interesting to see if they are fresh enough.
Posted By: Becca - 19 Dec 2020 20:58

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