Bear's breeches
Acanthus mollis · Acanthaceae
Huge, glossy, deeply cut leaves, the model for the carving on Corinthian columns, with tall spikes of white flowers hooded in purple in early summer.
- Size
- 4 ft tall, 3 ft wide
- Zones
- 7 to 10
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Mid June to late July
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around bear's breeches
The planner designed this bed around bear's breeches when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 7, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 722 that suit those conditions, and says below why bear's breeches stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Bear's breeches × 1, white
- 2 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 5, yellow
- 3 Creeping phlox × 5, pink
- 4 Coneflower 'Magnus' × 3, pink
- 5 Northern sea oats 'River Mist' × 3, green
- 6 Variegated lilyturf × 8, lavender
- 7 Snow crocus × 12, blue
- 8 Daffodil 'Tete-a-Tete' × 12, yellow
Why this plant
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are medium and fine. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
- The only white. White sits between stronger colours and calms them.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 4 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to northern sea oats 'River Mist' (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A feature plant is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for 7 weeks. From mid June to late July.
- Fills a gap. For two of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a cottage garden: 25 of the 25 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. Northern sea oats 'River Mist' and variegated lilyturf carry the bed through winter. Creeping phlox stands beside daffodil 'Tete-a-Tete', a proven pairing.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where bear's breeches goes in a border
At 4 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
Grown as much for its sculptural leaves as its flower spikes. Give it a place of its own: it spreads by thick roots and resprouts from any piece left behind, so it is hard to move once settled.
- A bold foliage feature in mild climates
- Part shade under high trees
- Architectural contrast to fine-leaved plants
What to plant with bear's breeches
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; a low mound at the foot of its spires; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Japanese forest grass 'Aureola': its chartreuse leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
- Lenten rose: flowers first, late March to early May, so the spot is never empty; a low mound at the foot of its spires; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about bear's breeches
Does bear's breeches need sun or shade?
Bear's breeches grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does bear's breeches grow in?
USDA zones 7 to 10. It is hardy to zone 7, which means it survives winter nights down to about 10 °F (−12 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does bear's breeches flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid June to late July. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 7 | Early June to mid July |
|---|---|
| Zone 8 | Early June to mid July |
| Zone 9 | Late May to mid July |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should bear's breeches be planted?
3 ft (90 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 4 ft (120 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many bear's breeches plants do I need?
At 3 ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 4 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, with clear ground around it: a feature plant is seen as an object, and a group of them is a thicket.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is bear's breeches poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like bear's breeches?
Bear's breeches comes from Europe, Africa. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- White false indigo: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers late May to late June, medium leaves, not bold.
- Goat's beard: the same job in a bed; 12 in taller, 4 in wider.
- Sweet Joe Pye weed: the same job in a bed; 24 in taller, flowers late July to early September.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat bear's breeches?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
Will bear's breeches spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by thick roots and regrows from any piece left in the ground. Choose its place carefully.
What flowers after bear's breeches?
Bear's breeches is over by late July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Japanese anemone: from mid August to early October, 3 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Garden phlox: from mid July to early September, 3½ ft tall.
- Tiger lily: from late July to late August, 4 ft tall.
What does bear's breeches look like in winter?
Bear's breeches holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
More Acanthus
- Spiny bear's breeches Acanthus spinosus
In these guides
- Plants for dry shade
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Tall perennials and grasses for the back of a border
- Plants with spires: vertical accents
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 4 ft (120 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3 ft (90 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Mid June to late July; upright spires; white, purple
- Leaves
- Bold texture, semi-evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 7 to 10
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Acanthaceae
- Comes from
- Europe, Africa
- Stands up to
- Drought
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.