I have some EE's that are doing fairly well, but I'm wondering if most of them will do well here, or did just get lucky? I would like to try some of the more exotic ones and mix them with ferns on the north side of my house. Can they survive being dry some of the time?
Elephant ears in Zone 8a?
If by EE's you mean Colocasia esculenta then you are right in their zone.
They do like water and plenty of it.
You just about can't drown them once it gets warm.
Most cultivars of it are the same way and many are grown in water.
If by exotics you mean Aroids in general some need a dry time but many need constant moisture.
Calalily is down there in deep Texas. She's probably the 'practical expert' now on which ones will do well for you.
Ric
I am slowly learning how to grow them here. Colocasias and xanthosomas do great here as long as they get plenty of water during the growing season. Alocasia mac, portadora and plumbea need lots of water during the summer too. I had to put the other alocasias in some shade and A. frydek had to go in a pot. We rarely get a frost, but do go below 50 sometimes and some varieties go dormant when that happens.
I killed a few this winter. I dug them up and tried to grow them in an old aquarium terrarium. I think I kept them too wet.
Well, my EE go dormant in the winter and come back to life when we start using the AC because I planted them right there where it drips. I'm trying to figure out how to grow more of these without spending all my time watering them.
What if I sunk a series of small tubs in the ground, say maybe 24" across, and put them in there. I tried having a small water garden in this same area and grew split leafed philodendron in it. But it looked weird because the pot leaned. I guess the dirt was too soft there. Maybe if I sunk it in the dirt it wouldn't be so likely to lean. I was able to keep gold fish in my other one without a pump. They seemed very healthy eating all those mosquitoes.:) Are there any that I wouldn't have to bring in for the winter?
The alocasias as a "general rule" but not an "exact science" can't take as much wet soil....moist yet, wet no....
Many of the colocasias, on the other hand, take a great deal of water, can grow in your boggy ditch areas, and can even live in standing water. I have purple stem colocasias in nothing but pea gravel in the corners of my fish pond (roots about 2 inches under the water line)
Heat with any of them, requires more water, simply because they are tropicals from humid enviroments. Don't drown them, and don't dehydrate them, and they will do well for you. Pink China is a tolerant one, for many different zones.
Well the last post I made here got lost somehow.:( But I went to plant files and read Alocasia Bulatta and Brian Williams. I am wondering if I should put them in pots and then put them in the greenhouse where they will have a rather dry winter, or leave them outside in the ground? The elephant ears (don't know what kind they are) that I have already are in the ground on the north side of the house, but they are protected somewhat because our house is in a L shape. And they are in the corner.
Mary Lee
Well the last post I made here got lost somehow.:( But I went to plant files and read Alocasia Bulatta and Brian Williams. I am wondering if I should put them in pots and then put them in the greenhouse where they will have a rather dry winter, or leave them outside in the ground? The elephant ears (don't know what kind they are) that I have already are in the ground on the north side of the house, but they are protected somewhat because our house is in a L shape. And they are in the corner. I think they are colocasia esculenta.
Mary Lee
This message was edited Apr 9, 2006 10:55 PM
The Brian Williams alocasia is a realy trooper....I have one in a very large planter pot (it will grow fairly large if you want it to) I water when the soil seems dry to the touch. They have very firm leaves, with maroon under-color. Brian himself, the creator of the Brian Williams alocasia, often posts over in tropicals.
Ok, I'll see if I can track him down over there. It would make sense to ask the maker.:) Thanks, Mary Lee