Acanthus: trouble for UK bees, but great Ancient History! UK Wildlife Gardening

Описание: Hello Wildlife Gardeners! Acanthus are danger-mangers! (Stick around to see how this plant inspired Ancient Greek artist Callimachus/Καλλίμαχος in the fifth century BCE - with an extra cool fact at the end. And yes, I've mispronounced it! :D) Here's why Acanthus (both A. mollis and A. spinosa) has a place in Ancient History but maybe not in British wildlife gardening - UK bumblebees get trapped in the tough flowers. Unless you want to be checking it all the time, enjoy the foliage if you have it but don't let it flower. (One lady I met wanted one last reason to dig it out, and this was it - bye bye Acanthus! Oleander, another beautiful Mediterranean plant, is even worse for trapping UK bumblebees.) So, even if you're an ancient history lover, choose your plants wisely!

Wildlife gardening simplified take-home tip: if you really want to grow Acanthus, cut the flower spikes - they're fabulous in vases indoors. But why not grow something more beneficial in that space?

Happy history, and happy wildlife gardening! :)

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