Bears BreechesAcanthus mollisHeight: 3' average mature height Zones: 7-8 Find my zone Habit: spreads slowly to moderately by the roots Foliage: deciduous
Size Availability
Bear's Breeches or Oyster Plant is a shade loving and drought tolerant species native to arid landscapes. Leaves are evergreen in zone 8 and up, dies back in zones 6 and 7 in harsh winters and re-sprouts in the spring. Will grow in zone 6 if given a semi-protected area in well drained soil, very cold and wet conditions can rot the roots and is the main cause of plant failure in cold zones. Very easy to grow in warmer climates and requires very little care.
Out of season.
Our main crop of most plants is available starting in late fall.
Additional batches of plugs and quarts are added throughout the year.
Many of our plants are propagated in limited quantities and can sell out quickly when posted, get on the notification list below so you don't miss out. Add your email to be notified as soon as we have them back in stock:
This does NOT subscribe your email to any mailing lists, our system will only send an inventory notification message.
Production notes: often not in production; usually due to infrequent seed production, limited propagation material, difficult propagation, or limited demand. May be available in large quantities in some years following seed bumper years. Low demand may cause staggered production, especially for fast-growing species.
Plants are fairly large and will form a clump several feet in diameter. Oyster Plant looks its best when given a bit of room but planted in a semi circle around a much larger plant, such as a small or medium sized tree. The June and July flowers are unique and draw interest even from a great distance, but not nearly as much as the massive leaves which can measure several feet long. The leaves are soft and resemble the texture of a banana leaf, although tougher and less likely to shred in wind especially considering their size. The leaves are much friendlier than of the closely related species,
A. spinosus
which is a plant you do not want to come in direct contact with!
Although this plant will grow in sunny areas in cool climates, medium afternoon shade will produce the most impressively sized leaves. Morning sun will encourage brighter red color in the flowers.
Plants are shipped during the dormant season with the leaves cut off, plant the grown so that it is just poking up out of the ground with the roots spread out as much as possible (avoid bunching up the roots into a tangled ball as much as possible). From the one gallon size you should have a full sized plant in 1-2 years. Fertilize with a slow release pellet in April, our favorite brand is Osmocote.
Propagating Acanthus mollis
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Bear's Breech
You can divide crowns in late fall, cut off the leaves at ground level and plant the crowns buried at ground level. You can also propagate from root cuttings alone. Roots are thick and travel out away from the plant. In late fall, dig around the plant and cut off roots about a half inch (1 cm) in diameter and three to five inches long. Place horizontally in well drained soil buried about inch down. One of the best materials for planting root cuttings in is the potting soil mix we recommend, use the first mix without the coco coir.
Use this mix for planting root cuttings in
, it's what we use at our nursery for root cuttings.
Close up of the massive dark green leaves. The hazelnut leaves at the bottom left are 3 inches long. 
Close up of the flower spike, which can grow to three feet tall. 
Acanthus mollis - Bears Breeches
Packing Plants For ShippingWe pack our plants depending on the needs of each species and size, most plants ship best with the roots packed in moist sawdust or bark fines but some species don't like root disturbance and are shipped in a soil-less growing media. Excess soil is washed from the roots in preparation for shipping (18-24" White Pines)  Plants are bundled together to fit in boxes  Bundles of plants are secured in long boxes. Plant Sizes 3 gallon Dawn Redwood  Standard quart shrub  Standard 14-18" multi-stem tree size  Standard deep plug pine tree Bamboo Plants Are Shipped In Their ContainersBamboo roots are not flexible and so plants have to be shipped in their containers. These plants are heavier and are shipped separately from bare root plants. Because they are potted they can handle longer transit times so can ship via UPS Ground instead of USPS Air Mail. Potted plants can also be shipped year-round.We regularly top our 1 gallon bamboo plants at 24-30 inches tall throughout the growing season. This results in dense, bushy foliage while allowing for economical shipping. From this size most running species will grow to 5-6 feet tall in the first spring and clumping species will usually grow to 4-5 feet tall.  1 gallon bamboo plants strapped in and ready to be sealed. Unpacking Bare Root PlantsYou will be sent tracking details as soon as your plants are shipped. Unpack your plants as quickly as possible after they are delivered. We use two types of boxes, side-sealing and top-sealing. For boxes that are taped along the whole length you can cut the tape on either side and remove the plant bundles by cutting the tape holding the bundle to the bottom. For boxes that are sealed on the top and bottom, it is easiet to open the bottom of the box (the shipping label is at the top) and pull the bundle of plants out straight out. Check that the box is empty as there can be a second bundle of plants stuck towards the top. A bundle of trees. What if I am not able to plant right away?You can usually leave the plants in their shipping container unopened for 1-2 days if there were no shipping delays and you have received your plants from late November through February. Plants shipped when it is warmer can't stay in their packages for as long.For longer term storage of plants you can pot them up or plant them in rows close together temporarily and then pull them out later in the spring to be planted again. This keeps the roots moist while allowing for air flow to the tops. The roots should have good contact with the soil to ensure they have access to adequate moisture. |
Size Availability
Out of season.
Our main crop of most plants is available starting in late fall.
Additional batches of plugs and quarts are added throughout the year.
Many of our plants are propagated in limited quantities and can sell out quickly when posted, get on the notification list below so you don't miss out. Add your email to be notified as soon as we have them back in stock:
This does NOT subscribe your email to any mailing lists, our system will only send an inventory notification message.
Production notes: often not in production; usually due to infrequent seed production, limited propagation material, difficult propagation, or limited demand. May be available in large quantities in some years following seed bumper years. Low demand may cause staggered production, especially for fast-growing species.
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Red Panda Nursery