Elephant Ears - Colocasia

Although Elephant Ears are not hardy in zones where the temperature falls below 50 degrees F, they are easily grown in any garden. In zones with winter, they can be dug up, dried, and carried through the winter for replanting in the spring. For an easy to follow and thorough instructional article, go to http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Elephant-Ear-Plants. These are very large, dramatic plants that require a lot of space to grow. Partial shade, rich soil that drains well, and reliable watering will produce plants with leaves up to two feet wide and three feet long (generally a bit smaller in the non-tropical locales). Although they can be 8 feet tall in the tropics, you should see them peak around 3 feet tall. In their home territory they are wetland plants, so they can be used where soil is soggy and there's a lot of shade - better to not let them stand in water, however. They are hungry and should be fed with a high nitrogen fertilizer. A few cultivars are available; one being very dark and called Black Magic, one has dark leaves with white veins called Jet Black Wonder, and there's even one called Yellow Splash which has variegated foliage.