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Acanthus mollis issue

GardenGirlCheshireGardenGirlCheshire Posts: 3
in Problem solving
Hello, 
I planted my Acanthus Mollis ‘white water’ in a raised bed around Easter. Everything else in the bed is doing well but this is now only producing white leaves with no variegation. Any suggestions?  

Posts

  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    I think it’s just natural variation. I haven’t grown the variegated one but from those I’ve seen the variegation is quite random, both in shape and the extent to which it effects each or any leaf
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    I agree, the variegation looks more varied and spread out when the plant is larger. Also hope you really like the plant and don't mind it eventually spreading as it will send a serious taproot and then will be quite tough to remove. I've got a couple but keep growing them in pots as didn't want them to take over. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I used to grow the ordinary type of acanthus and found that most years the leaves were covered in mildew, it self-seeded a lot too.
    I dug it up as best I could years ago, but I still get seedlings appearing in the same area.
    The flower spike on Whitewater looks impressive and in the right place they're quite an architectural feature.
    Is there some decaying foliage in the middle of the plant? I can't quite see properly, but if there is, it's best removed

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    Another cautionary tale here. We had it in a herbaceous border before trying to dig it out and turf over it. That was in Spring 2017 and throughout the growing season the lawn has been mown once a week ever since. The agapanthus is still trying to break through the lawn.
    Rutland, England
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