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Help needed please to identify a plant and it's illness :(

emmalouiseemmalouise Posts: 4
in Problem solving

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Hi, can anyone please tell me what this plant is? We have recently moved and there are 3 of these, fairly large all with the same chalky substance on the leaves. The bottom leaves are drooping badly and wondered if they could be saved. Thank you in advance

Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585

    It looks like acanthus mollis also known as bear's breeches. I think the problem is powdery mildew.

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618

    Its an Acanthus and it has mildew. It is usually worse in very dry soil. Give it a bucket of water or three.

     They are practically indestructible, so if it doesn't do a lot this year it will still come back next year.

     Cut the leaves off that you don't like, leave the flowering stems.

  • emmalouiseemmalouise Posts: 4

    Great thank you AnniD, I have somewhere to start. Ill have a look now to see what I can find out.

  • emmalouiseemmalouise Posts: 4

    Thank you fidgetbones. They are planted in raised beds. Not sure how deep the soil goes. The rest of the garden is pebbles so maybe drainage too good???

    Thanks

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090

    These plants thrive in poor, dry soil.  Mildew, perversely, comes either when a plant is too dry or too wet.

    I would remove the worst affected leaves and bin them and check if the soil is dry or wet below.   If bone dry, try watering it well.  If wet, leave well alone after removing the worst affected leaves and let it dry out naturally.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • emmalouiseemmalouise Posts: 4

    Thanks Obelixx, my job tomorrow! I just read that being too crammed in with other plants doesn't help the circulation either. The bottom is densely planted with grasses which I don't like so I may pull those out to see if it makes a difference. Thanks everyone :) 

  • Mary370Mary370 Posts: 2,003

    I hope you have a very large raised bed, Bear;s Breeches get huge, I had to remove all of my one's leaves as they had gotten very tatty, new leaves are growing back already.  I love the flower stems, my plant is 4 years old this year, had lots of flower stems, approx. 9, 6' tall.  My OH calls it the giant cabbage, as it looks like a giant triffid veg, when not in flower.

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