This pot of Mickey Mouse ees are huge. Such a interesting plant.
My ears are so big
Barb, they are awesome! I can't wait till mine get that big. Mine are just teeny tiny.
Beautiful!
What a beautiful plant. Did you start it from a seed?
Those look great Barb!
beautiful Barb
Started from a tiny little plant that I got in trade. It is about 3 years old. I am trying MM and Nancy's revenge outside this year. We will see if they are hardy in 8a.
I decided that what I need are separate greenhouses, one for aroids, one for brugmansia, one for gingers, one for other plants that catch my eye. Or I could just move to zone 10 and get it over with.
Ha, we have our draw backs too....It gets so D... hot here the Devil goes North for the Summer.... LOL....
I doo like your big ears, I have a little bitty one like that and was wondering how big they would get...thanks for the post.... :o)
How big do the leaves get Barb? It's a great picture.
Liz, haven't measured them-cleaning out and reworking hoophouse.9making larger0 Haven't had time. I have got to stop collecting plants that aren't hardy in 8a. There is no way I will have enough room for everything.
I'm with you Barb, I've already started to bring in the tropicals and the gh is filling up quickly. Haven't even started with the brugs. I keep telling myself it will all fit in, it did last year. But then last year I didn't have all the gingers, ears, plumeria etc.
This message was edited Sep 16, 2003 10:39 AM
I love this ear. I sure didn't realize it would get that big. Great picture.
How do you overwinter this one Barb?
warning about Nancy..she is truly into "revenge"..She is very aggressive here..spreading like wildfire!
Liz, it is wintered in greenhouse and the post is taken out in summer. Trying some in the ground this year. Hope they make it. Hardiness chart says yes but it is the wet ground that worries me. I have a lot of rot due to wet/cold in winter. The temperatures aren't that bad it is the combination of wet and cold that gets many plants that books say are hardy here.
I love it Barb. I will have to get one of those! I am sure I can find a corner to squeeze it in! LOL.
So tell me, how tall can you make a hoophouse? I have brug trees now over 12 feet. And no way Tom will dig a 3 foot hole to put the pot in.
Kell, will check for pups and let you know
LOL @ Kell! Now there is an idea! Dig a big bunker, line it with cement then your above ground hoop house would only have to be a couple of feet tall! ROTF Better yet, maybe a neighbor has an in ground pool they don't use and you could just cover it with plastic. :) Seriously, in ground greenhouses are supposed to be easy to keep the temps steady.
Barb that MM is huge! I think mine is about 8 inches tall! I think I'll cry if yours die. It is neat to see how big they get in a warmer climate!
Well, that is one I don't have either.
And looks I should! lol
Very nice, Barb (o:
My ears got huge also this year.
A good 'ears' year (o:
Not sure about this variety, bit I store the bulbs of mine like cannas for winter.
And the runners/tips in peat inside a zip bag. They come through good (o:
I will check to see if a pix of one of mine and post.
I am zone 6.
Forgot to add and important ...
Make sure peat is cooled when storing bulbs.
Uncooled peat carries too much heat in storage.
This message was edited Sep 17, 2003 10:25 AM
Thank you much Abutilon! Brugie and I have been trying to decide the best way to store the running ears!
Michele, I just pot all of mine. I didn't know just how well they would survive out of soil. I'll grow them in windows and under some light this winter. It worked last year. They don't grow much in the house. Someone told me you can pot them, cut them off, let them go dry in a frost free place and bring them out in the spring, water, and they will grow. She said you could even stack the pots on top of each other. As for the Runner types........I'd just pot them up and see what happens. I don't think they will grow enough to get out of control. That Malanga was not a fun one to get split up.
LOL Shirley. How much light do they need inside? I have not taken a picture of my melanga lately. It is hidden in the foliage of my weeping willow. I guess I will be digging it up soon and will take a pic if I find a pot big enough! So are you going to cut any of your ears back (running and/or tuber)?
Michele, I cut all back to just the leaf that will put out the next leaf and I cut back to where it will come out of that stalk. I don't give mine a lot of light in the house, because I don't have enough windows for what I have. Most ears will grow in little light outside, so I figure they should be okay in the house. I still have some to dig and one of them should be okay to just cut off and store for the winter. The main stalk is as big around as a softball.
Wow! Thanks Shirley. I just pulled up my Melanga. Heavy thing! lol I guess I will start on the others soon. Tell me again why I have all these plants that are not hardy???
Michele,
My daughter has elephant ears in Naperville Ill. They probably won'nt last the winter. What do I need to do to winter them over.
Your plants are elephant ears are'nt they
Looking at the Plant Database, this is apparently cousin to elephant ear, since it is listed as Mickey Mouse Taro.
I have followed common directions for the more usual elephant ears here in zone 7a/7b, taking them up before frost, drying them with foliage for a few days, then cutting off the foliage and storing the root with good air circulation with or without dry matter like paper shreds.
But the "nongardeners" in the area are smarter than the gardeners, and leave them in the ground and find that they almost always come back up. I am tempted to do this with my Illustris, a gorgeous green/purple ear, which has put out new plants a foot from the original one, in its first year.
Anyhow! I am longwinded. I really got on this thread to ask if anyone had a recommendation for a reliable source for the Mickey Mouse. I would be happy to trade a young elephant ear. I have TC liners I just potted up that should be nice to mail in a couple of months: ruffles, illustris, and milky way(variegated white/green); and some common alocasia I will be digging up.
Peter
This message was edited Sep 18, 2003 7:26 AM
They are a great looking Ear,lots of varigation!