Plants of the Acanthus family are able to decorate any infield. Acanthus is a perennial herbaceous plant that loves warmth and lives in the Mediterranean, Africa and Asia. Since ancient times, he was very revered in Greece and ancient Rome. Residents plant inspired respect for its beauty, vitality and grandeur.
general description
This garden plant is also called "bear paw". This is due to the fact that acanthus leaves are very similar to the bear's paw print.
They can also call it holly, mountain thistle and claw. All types of flowers are strong and durable. The foliage is very diverse, as it can be both smooth and with thorns without needles, it can be pin-cut and incised into unequal parts. 
Flowers are collected in spicate inflorescences. There are white, purple and purple. Petals reach sizes of 5 cm. And the height of the plant itself can be from 40 cm to 2 m, and the roots are very powerful.
Did you know? At the time of antiquity, this flower was a symbol of masculinity and victory over difficulties. It was believed that the plant grows on the graves of heroic warriors. Nevertheless, in Christian symbolism, acanthus leaves are associated with the suffering and rebelliousness of the sinner.
Varieties of acanthus
Today, more than 30 species of this ornamental plant are known. The most popular ones:
- Acantine bad leafy. It grows in thickets of mangrove trees. The foliage is dark green in color, satin-smooth, 8-10 cm wide and 20-30 cm long. The leaves are pinnately shaped. Flowers of white and purple shades with large cylindrical inflorescences. Distributed on the coasts of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Good for growing in pots and in greenhouses. The roots are aerial and spread out in different directions, giving the plant a special charm.
- Mountain. The homeland of this species is West Africa. It is an evergreen shrub that is characterized by a multitude of aerial roots. The leaves are pinnate, olive-green in color, can reach a length of 30 cm, while the edges are wavy and slightly studded. White-purple flowers form inflorescences up to 25 cm in length. The diameter of a single flower is about 5 cm. Mountain acanthus is an ornamental plant that takes root well in pot conditions.
- Acute (spiny) - This is the most popular perennial in flower gardens and gardens. It got its name for its leaves and bracts, which have thorny needles. The flowers are very beautiful, they are formed in two shades: the upper lobes are purple and the lower ones are white. The height of acanthus can reach 150 cm. This species blooms from July to September.
- Soft (dull). In its homeland, in the Mediterranean, the plant can grow up to 190 cm, in our area it is slightly lower - about 75 cm. Its stems are straight, and the foliage is very massive, about 30-60 cm long, up to 15 cm wide. Bracts are dark -pink or lilac. Soft acanthus also has varieties that differ in the size of the foliage and the presence of thorns on it.
- Balkan (Hungarian, long-leaved). It is very similar to the blunt acanthus, the differences only in the deep cuts of the basal foliage of the Balkan acanthus, the bases of which are markedly narrowed. This species is the most resistant to cold.
- Dioscorida. The view was found quite recently on the slope of Mount Adis, not far from Yerevan. The view is rare and extremely beautiful. The inflorescences are long, the buds are purple in color.
Conditions for growing bear claws
To grow such a plant in his summer cottage, you should carefully study the conditions that he needs for good development.
Climatic conditions
Acanthus is a thermophilic plant. In the summer for him the optimal temperature frame - 18-25 ° Cin winter - 16-18 ° C. 
In this regard, some types of "bear paws" gardeners are grown in containers, taking out in the summer to the garden, and taking them to the premises for the winter.
You can also decorate your site with such perennial plants as: fuchsia, feather grass, fizostegiya, geykhera, Goryanka, basilist, dungster, catnip.It also requires good lighting, so the area where this plant grows must be open to the sun.
Soil type
Acanthus - the plant is not particularly capricious, still needs suitable soil. It is advisable to plant it in fertile soil, light, neutral or slightly alkaline. 
It is also very important to provide the plant with good drainage so that moisture and air can easily get to the root system. Did you know? Grass-fed animals hardly touch acanthus, since their thorny hard foliage is not attractive.
Acanthus landing
To grow a beautiful and powerful bush, you must adhere to the basic rules of agricultural technology. Seeds before planting need to scarify and soak for 2-3 days in warm water.
At the same time every 6-8 hours the water needs to be changed so that it does not heat up even more. After 10 days, the seeds, which all this time should be in a dark room, will have time to germinate, and they can be planted in the soil. Better to do it in March. 
The substrate for planting is prepared from sand and peat. It is important to keep the distance between the plants at least 70-80 cm, since the acanth grows very quickly and powerfully.
Plant Care
In order for the acanthus flower to decorate the dacha with its decorative properties, it needs to provide proper care.
Watering
Abundant watering should be observed in the period from spring to autumn. It is impossible to allow overmoistening at the same time, because of this, the root system of the plant may start to rot, and snails may also start. 
In winter, however, moisture can be reduced, and care must be taken to ensure that the root soil does not dry out.
Important! Additionally, you can from time to time spray an acanth from a spray bottle. This should be done very carefully so that water does not fall on the inflorescences. It is possible to spray 2 times a day during the summer period, and once a day - in the winter.
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is recommended from March to September. It will be enough to carry out such a procedure one time in two weeks. Fertilizers need to pick up those that contain organic compounds. 
You can purchase liquid three-component product in a specialized shop, which is used for flowering plants.
Organic fertilizers that are perfect for acanthus: potassium humate, biohumus, yeast, nettle solution, onion peel, charcoal, potassium salt, manure, tobacco dust, feces.
Pruning
It is necessary to monitor the development of the plant and, as necessary, remove the inflorescences that have already faded, as well as the rotted and shrunken parts of acanthus.
The leaves that are rotten can provoke the rapid reproduction of pests, so they need not just cut, but also immediately removed from the site.
Transfer
Acanthus does not like transplants, so it should be done only if absolutely necessary. 
If the plant grows in a pot or container, then the transplant should be carried out when the earth is already completely covered with roots. Later transplantation is carried out no more than once every 2-3 years. Important! To prepare the substrate for transplanting acanthus, you need to take one part of peat, humus, light turfy ground and half of the sand.
Pests and diseases
Despite the fact that the flower is very resistant to diseases and pests, there are still a number of problems that a summer resident may encounter while growing acanthus. In this regard, should regularly inspect the ornamental plant.
- If a white coating appears on acanthus foliage, this may indicate that it was struck by powdery mildew. In this case, you must immediately remove all damaged leaves, and process the bush itself with a special fungicide.
- Also, the presence of a problem may indicate white spots on the leaves. This can happen due to sun overheating or even a burn. You need to move the pot with a flower in a darker place, or priten akant, if it grows in open ground.
- Wilting foliage - a sign of excess moisture in the soil.
- Darkening and falling leaves usually indicates the presence of drafts and overcooling of ornamental plants.
