A Good Solution for Mildewy Acanthus

I gave up growing acanthus some years ago because the leaves become so ugly in late summer when mildew takes hold and finishes of the job started by slugs and snails. On my recent visit to Glyndebourne I was very taken with gardener Dawn Aldridge’s in the Exotic Garden – she cuts off all the leaves and transforms the flowering stems into something much more interesting. This treatment also allows the new foliage to come through unimpeded.