From Our Garden
to Yours
Elephant ears can be used as house plants, garden planters or planted right in the ground as and Annual
Bulb (which can be dug and stored for the winter). Or how about a combination of all of the above as we do.
As you probably already know: For us collecting plants is a passion. Here you will find some very unique
Elephant ears we have collected from all over the world and we grow them just fine here in Zone 5. With a
little care and knowledge SO CAN YOU!! Bring a tropical paradise into your yard too. From our garden to
yours. This is our second season and we are getting babies to sell. We have them listed alphabetically.
These are in very limited quantities until we get more established. More information on care is listed below.
Esculenta  this is the EE you are use to finding
every where. Cared for properly they get larger
every year. Very Large bulbs are collectors lbs.
and is the size of a football. It puts off many
babies each year. Hundreds of bulbs are sold
each year and fail to grow because they have
not been stored properly over the winter. We
sell live plants not just bulbs.

AUGUST 2009 UPDATE: we have plenty of
babies and 1 year olds. Our 3 year old is
getting ready to bloom. If you have never
seen an elephant ear bloom you are in for a
treat.
A nice cool shady
place
for our Yorkies to
take
a nap while
Granny works
in the garden.
The large red
stemmed EE
is Pink China and
you can
see it is making
babies.
Baby EE are separated throughout the season
EE mixed with other
garden plants
makes a striking
tropical display.
Plant them in your
Hosta bed or add
them to your other
among the flowers
the bed looking
great.
Colocasia Antiquorum
'Illustris'- also called
'Imperial Taro'
only 3 left 2009
Satin Purple velvet with striking vibrant
emerald green to lime green veins.
Proliferates in moist soil but will also
thrive in regular garden soil Exposure
65%-73% shade, likes high light, but will
do reasonably well in 80% shade. Mature
Height: 5-6' Use Pot Size: 8-14". This is a
stunning plant and always gets lots of
attention in my garden, nothing else
quite like it! It spreads and multiplies if
given plenty of water, sending up lots of
little plants all around. Native to tropical
Asia and Polynesia and considered an
evergreen perennial tuberous herb in
these countries.
Deeper shade brings darker
color to this already gorgeous
Elephant ear.
65%-73% shade, likes high light, but will do reasonably well in 80%
shade.  AKA "Persian Palm". Does very well in wet situations. Also
does well in a medium (2-3) gallon container This one gets big 6 to 8
feet tall the upright pleated leaves distinqish this from other elephant
ears, and denser growth make it a stand out. Leaves get 4 feet long by
2 1/2 feet wide. Compliments and creates the perfect backdrop for
other plants; Native to tropical S. & S.E. Asia, these great plants sway
and 'sing' a special song in the warm, mid-late summer breezes This
temps below 45°F in Zone 5

ONLY 2 LEFT 2009
Lauterbaachiana Light: 65%-73% shade, likes high light, but will do
reasonably well in 80% shade Mature Height: 4-6' Pot Size: 9-10" new
to the market. It will make an excellent focal point in a container  or
as a background focal point directly in the garden.
SOLD OUT 2009
Xanthosoma aureaa 'Lime Zinger' large green, shiny leaves with white veins that
dominate the landscape. Unusual yellow coloration appears in Summer. The Lime
Zinger is expected to be in that 6 to 8 foot range. Loves heat and humidity, and does
well in moist soil, tolerates a wide range of conditions, including just about any pH,  
boggy or clay soil, and up to half a day of sunlight. Good for larger containers.  The
18-inch leaves just sizzle in the shade! This new Elephant's Ear is so unbelievably
bright, your guests will rub the foliage to make sure it's real! A never-before-seen
color in Xanthosoma, the butter-yellow of these massive leaves lasts all season,
transforming the shade into a glowing paradise! Will add a great contrast to almost
every other garden plant. And this one is so easy to grow. And of course it is a perfect
complement to the bold smoky Black/Purple EE. It's the perfect container specimen
further north -- just bring it indoors before the first hard freeze and enjoy it all winter
long! And best of all it puts off lots of babies in ideal conditions.
Colocasia  "Pink China" This green faced elephant ear has striking red/pink
stems. It is similar to Alocasia rubra, has beautiful stature and rich coloration.
'Pink China' Great container and aquatic plant. Grows 5-6 feet its first year and
makes babies early in the season. Makes babies early in the season and
grows 5-6 feet its first year, as seen above with our yorkie.

ONLY 2 Left 2009
When the stems can no
longer hold the weight the
stems droop, spilling the
water out. The leaves then
return to an upright position
where they can begin
collecting water again.
'Coffee Cup' Light: 65%-73% shade, likes
high light, but will do reasonably well in 80%
shade 4-6' tall. Pot Size: 8-14" Coffee Cup is
one of a kind, for sure. Just take a look at
the leaf structure on this one! The leaves
hold themselves very upright in an
inverted cup like pose. When the sun
shines down on 'Coffee Cups' leaves it
illuminates the leaf tissue around the dark
purple veins, which gives it a very
spectacular look. This is just one of those
plants were its architectural form will blow
you away. Prefers plenty of water. Does
well in boggy areas. Exposure Likes high
light but can do well in mostly shade Tall
clumping plants Spreads very quickly in
wet conditions. Amazing to watch.
SOLD OUT 2009
Xanthosoma Violaceum 'Blue Giant' (Purple Giant) is grown all over the
tropics as a food plant. Blue Taro has large whitish flowers. Keep above
50°F. Leaves have purplish veins 2'-3' and brownish stem 5 - 6 feet. Can
reach heights of 7 - 10 feet total. It typically is a plant with tuberous
rhizomes, Not bulbs as most EE. It is widely grown in Nepal and through the
Himalayan range up to northeast India. Found growing in forest areas where
it is cultivated for food. Native to Caribbean Islands. Prefers plenty of water
with good drainage, but will do good in less wet conditions too. Will be
smaller when planted in containers, but choose a large container to start
because even in a container it will get big. Makes a dramatic house plant in
the off season.

See Picture below of our winter storage, these were touching the ceiling by
time we were able to move them outside.
CARING FOR ELEPHANT EARS

Here in Missouri we grow EE as annuals and get about 5 months of a tropical paradise, then we dig the bulbs and move them
indoors as house plants all winter. Fall digging offers a chance to separate babies for starting new plants. Each year the original
bulb gets bigger, resulting in a much larger plant next year.

Don’t rush to plant in your elephant ears outside in the Spring; tubers won’t take off until soil and air temperatures get warm. Night
time temps have to stay above 50 degrees for them to even think about waking up.

If you have planted them in the garden as we do, simply wait until the night time temps fall to about 40 degrees. Digging up the
elephant ear for the season should happen when the plant starts to die back. You will notice brown crunchy leaves and when the
first spells of cold evenings come they will start to knock the plant down. Even after the first frost is a good time to do so. Do not
wait any longer because the bulbs will start to get mushy.  Cut off any dead leaves, dig up the bulb, getting plenty of the root ball
and place them into a pot and move them indoors. This can be quite a task for EE’s that are a couple of years old since they get
bigger every year. Decrease watering until late spring. If you want to stretch out their growing season and use them as house
plants bring them in earlier. The growth rate will be very slow and the leaves may die back but they are not dead, only dormant.

Bulbs can also be dry stored. But keep an eye on them because mice love the taste. Many varieties of EE are grown as food in
Tropical countries around the world. Somewhat like a potato. After the plants have died back in the fall, dig up bulbs. Clean, Dry off
the plantings, and store them in a cool, dark area until planting the following spring.  Cut off the large leaves and leave just a stem
to help plant the bulbs next spring. Cover with peat moss/vermiculite/ or sawdust. Something that will keep the roots dry.

Storing elephant ears or any bulbs sometimes is a tricky process. Any chance of temperatures below freezing will mush the bulbs. If
you want to try to keep the babies, then separate them, plant them, and bring them indoors as a house plants for the winter.
Our INDOOR  COLLECTION: winter storage
2009 Up-Date.
Most of our indoor stored EE are
out-growing their area and most have
reached the height of the grow lights ( 6-
8 feet) We will have a good Spring Crop.
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