Acanthus spinosus

I bought two pots about five years ago. I live in 8b and planted it on the East side of a porch where it gets only morning sun, but Florida sun is tough on plants. It has flourished and remains beautiful green foliage all year. When the flower stalks appear, the small Snapdragon like blooms cover the stalks and new ones appear as the stalk grows. If you look closely there is so detail that it is amazing. Mine are usually 4-5 feet tall and the blossoms seem to be around for nearly a month. The soil is just Florida sand with no fertilizer added. I water it infrequently during the summer and it just keeps becoming more beautiful as time goes by. It isn't spectacular except when blooming but is a real joy to have in the flower bed. It does increase in size rather slowly and I will need to transplant some in the next year or two. I do recommend it.