Acanthus mollis 'Wofford Rhubarb' 9cm / 0.5L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Acanthus mollis 'Wofford Rhubarb' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Bear's Breeches 'Wofford Rhubarb'

Acanthus mollis 'Wofford Rhubarb'

£8.99
Hardy in the UKSun-lovingShade-tolerantLoved by pollinators
Pot size
9cm / 0.5L £8.99

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

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Description

Acanthus mollis 'Wofford Rhubarb' is bear's breeches with the volume turned up: the same vast, sculpted, glossy leaves that classical architects carved onto Corinthian columns, now carried on stems flushed rhubarb-red, so every rib runs wine-dark beneath the green. In mid to late summer come the famous towers, hooded white flowers under dusky purple bracts, standing shoulder-high.

Rated H5 and drought-tolerant once its taproots reach down, it is one of the most reliable architectural perennials in Britain: exotic presence with cast-iron manners, worked hard by bumblebees and superb dried.

How and where to grow

  • Position: sun for flowers, light shade for the lushest leaves.
  • Soil: any fertile, well-drained soil; drought-proof once established.
  • Size: foliage to 80 cm, flower spikes to 1.2 m or more.
  • Hardiness: H5; leaves regrow from the root after hard frost.

Plant it once and permanently: the base of an exotic border, a dry gravel garden, or repeated along a sunny wall as living architecture with our other architectural foliage. The bee-thronged spikes add it to our pollinator collection within hardy exotics.

Nursery-grown, strong-rooted plants. Winter behaviour in our seasonal expectations guide.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Bear's Breeches 'Wofford Rhubarb'

Plant me in full sun and I will stand a UK winter outdoors.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About Bear's Breeches 'Wofford Rhubarb'

Acanthus mollis 'Wofford Rhubarb' needs full sun or partial shade and well-drained soil. It is hardy to around −15°C and stands a UK winter outdoors.

Good for

Architectural Dry & Gravel Gardens Exotic Borders Wildlife & Pollinators

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

Hardy Exotic (H5): down to around −15°C. Hardy through a cold UK winter.

Rated H5: hardy through UK winters. Foliage may die back in hard frost and returns from the deep rootstock in spring. Read moreShow less

Rated H5: hardy through UK winters. Foliage may die back in hard frost and returns from the deep rootstock in spring.

Position

Full sunPartial shadeSouth-facingWest-facingEast-facingShelteredExposed
Full sun to partial shade; flowers best in sun, foliage lushest in light shade. Read moreShow less

Full sun to partial shade; flowers best in sun, foliage lushest in light shade.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandWell-drainedMoist but well-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH
Any fertile, well-drained soil; established plants tolerate drought impressively. Read moreShow less

Any fertile, well-drained soil; established plants tolerate drought impressively.

Watering

Water for the first summer; after that the taproots fend for themselves. Read moreShow less

Water for the first summer; after that the taproots fend for themselves.

Mature size

Height0.8-1.2 m (in flower)
Spread0.8-1 m

Reaches full size in 2-5 years

Growth habit

Clump-forming

Flowering

Jul-Aug · White, Purple

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Semi-evergreen

Pruning

Cut spent flower spikes at the base; clear old foliage in late winter before new growth.

Toxicity

No significant toxicity reported for people or pets.

Native range

Mediterranean (garden origin)

Family

Acanthaceae

Also known as

Acanthus mollis 'Wofford Rhubarb'

Genus

Acanthus
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Acanthus 'Wofford Rhubarb'?

A selected bear's breeches whose leaf stems flush rhubarb-red, so the great sculpted rosette carries wine-coloured ribs beneath the gloss. The classical architecture is intact: this is the leaf carved onto Corinthian columns, with tall hooded flower spikes in summer.

Is Acanthus mollis hardy?

Thoroughly: H5, hardy across the UK. A savage frost may fell the leaves, which regrow from the deep roots in spring. Details in our seasonal expectations guide.

Where should I plant bear's breeches?

Somewhere permanent: the taproot resents moving. Give it room at the foot of an exotic border, along a sunny wall, or in dry, gravelled ground where its drought tolerance shines.

What are the flower spikes like?

Up to 1.2 m towers of hooded white flowers under dusky purple bracts in mid to late summer, beloved of bumblebees strong enough to force the hoods, and superb dried for winter arrangements.

Does Acanthus take over?

It is vigorous and permanent rather than invasive: clumps expand steadily and root fragments regrow, so choose its home once. In the right spot that permanence is exactly the point.

Is Acanthus safe for pets?

Yes, no significant toxicity is reported for dogs or cats. The flower hoods have soft spines, so site spikes back from narrow paths.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Why Grow Tropicals

Plants delivered the way they deserve

Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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Acanthus mollis 'Wofford Rhubarb'
£8.99