propagating Bear’s Breeches from cuttings

The deeply lobed leaves of Acanthus eminens, like a bear’s clawed embrace, beckoned. But coaxing new life from this dramatic plant proved a trial. Softwood cuttings, dipped in rooting hormone, whispered promises of future growth, yet many succumbed to the damp earth’s silent rejection. The stubborn rhizomes, unearthed in spring, resisted easy division, their tough fibers protesting any severance. Each tiny sprout that survived, each new leaf unfurling, felt like a hard-won victory, a testament to patience, tinged with the sweet scent of earth and the quiet triumph of perseverance.