What is this plant
By Snoopymadjan
Worcestershire,
United Kingdom 
Could anyone tell me what this plant is please. It is approx. 4ft high, I have got several cuttings from it, one of which is now approx. 3ft. They seem to spout the flower heads when they are adult. I was told that an original cutting had come from Torquay botanical gardens but have never been able to discover what this actually is.
28 Jul, 2008
Answers
It's Bears' Breeches or Acanthus. I wish mine flowered like that!
28 Jul, 2008
The trick is remove the spent flowers before they set seed. Any seedlings should be removed asap as the plant forms a long tap root. The smallest piece of root left in the ground will regrow and only repeated applications of a systemic weedkiller will (eventually) kill it
28 Jul, 2008
Don't prune it just dig out what you don't want to keep it in check.
28 Jul, 2008
Acanthus or commonly Bears Britches!!! Difficult plant to get rid of and a bit invasive.
28 Jul, 2008