DESCRIPTION: These perennials grow wild in the grasslands,
woods, scrub and rocky hills of the Balkans, Romania, Greece,
eastern Mediterranean, and Africa. These plants, known as Bear's
Breeches, need winter protection if grown in the North. They
form lush clumps of shiny, dark green, lance-shaped leaves,
which are deeply lobed. The leaves of A. spinosus are strewn
with spines. The funnel shaped flowers grow in spikes from 2 to
5 feet long, in the summer. The flowers of A. hungaricus are
white or pale pink, encased in spiny reddish-purple bracts. It
spreads up to 3 feet and grows 2 to 3 feet high. A. spinosus has
white flowers wrapped in pretty, spiny, mauve-purple bracts. The
flower spikes may be air-dried for decoration. This plant grows
up to 4 feet high and has a spread of 2 feet or more. It is a
handsome plant that needs a lot of room. The foliage is
attractive enough even when they aren't in bloom to place in a
corner where they can be seen easily. POTTING: Bear's Breeches
should be grown in full sun in