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Acanthus mollis
Hi everyone 
New to this plant - is winter protection needed for the crown? Soggy flower buds are turning brown just now – should I be cutting them all back? This plant is a good size but yet to share its first summer flowers. Still have many leaves (suffering a little too). Should this plant be cut back to the ground to regrow fresh in Spring?
My garden is in Perthshire, Scotland and my plant is in an open sunny location.
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Hi Shirlsgw, I am in south Lanarkshire, right down at the bottom in a frost pocket.
I have several miscanthus plants in the garden, they took a while to establish, about two years, but were magnificent last summer. I had not got round to cutting them back and putting down some protection when I noticed the other day that they had turned to mush. I am fully confident they will recover and will lift the mushy bits come the spring, meantime they have a mulch!
A A Milne
Lily, methinks you're confusing Acanthus with Miscanthus.
Shirlgw, acanthus is as tough as old boots, whatever you do, it'll bounce back in Spring.
ahhhhhh! Oops
A A Milne
I never protect mine, in a hard winter the leaves turn to mush. I've found it rather shy flowering. 15 years (ono) 3 or 4 brilliant, a few not bad and some no flowers at all. I haven't been able to relate performance to winter temperatures but this last summer, after a very wet winter, it flowered well but very tall and fell over which it's never done before.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Thanks for your answers everyone – my biggest surprise is that I'm seeing flower growth so far on in January and I know it has no chance of succeeding.
Lily Pilly, I’m surprised to hear your miscanthus went to mush (although I haven’t grown one in a few years) but agree new growth should come on through it come spring
Hostafan1, a tough plant sounds good to me!
Nutcutlet, my gunnera leaves have turned to mush before I have protected it and it has come back. Interesting to hear you don’t relate temps to performance. I’ve moved this plant so I expected it to sulk before flowering. I hope the early season flowers it’s trying to send up aren’t my lot for 2015!
Actually it is an acanthus!
Miscanthus looking a bit bent but definitely not mushy.
A A Milne
have you been seeing off the last of the Christmas Sherry Lily?
I am too much of a coward to dare try growing acanthus in my open garden as it is like horse radish down here. Once it gets its feet in your garden your have it for life and it is almost impossible to remove. I believe the roots go down to Australia or somewhere even further away!
Sherry all finished Hosta, just been so long since I have been able to get into garden
A A Milne
I have had a very large pan of mulled wine on the go since before Christmas! We gardeners need something to warm us up after all. I have managed to get a few sessions in the garden, mainly clearing up debri and weeding. One day I sat outside, in a sheltered corner, to eat my lunch and later to have a cup of tea to watch the sun begin to go down, surrounded by the lovely scent of my 2 daphne plants in full flower. The temperature drops quite suddenly around 3/4 o'clock when I move indoors to a fire and a large glass of hot mulled wine.
It was lovely to be outside doing something at last. I was amazed at how much new growth is showing at the base of perrenials, also new buds on shrube and trees. I am always escorted by my feline furry Poppy on these sorties and a robin which shouts at her from the safety of a hawthorn tree growing on the bank. What a lovely way to spend a few hours at this time of year.
To hell with the housework, cooking, cleaning etc. etc.
I have to set off now for a friend's funeral. So sad.