I planted Black Beauty Elephant Ear with Mojito Elephant Ear this year.
I think the combination brings out the black patches in the Mojito’s leaves.
These are planted beside one of the ponds and can be viewed from the deck above.
I like this combo of ears.
Flow
Elephant ears are mostly water.
So if they freeze, they turn to mush.
I let the frost kill the leaves, then I cut off the droopy parts.
I dig them up and haul them inside my already crowded workshop.
There are too many plants in there to get much work done,
but it’s a great place to go think and breathe.
Black Beauty came inside in its pot.
My Mojitos are in a box.
The Frydeks are in a bucket.
And YES, I did bring in those trouble causing Coffee Cups.
They are reclining in my lawn cart.
Flower has more heart than sense.
I must not end this post without a photo of the cutest ears of all.
Bunny ears.
FLOWER
I have five different Elephant Ears.
I lost my favorite this winter, but found a replacement at the Tropical Nursery in North Myrtle Beach. https://floweralley.org/2018/07/02/an-oasis-at-the-beach/
I got my first big green one decades ago ‘Caladium Esculentum.’ (name on tag?)
I love how these hold water and tip over when they get full.
Then I added some black ears. These get bigger with more water.
Next came my favorite Colocasia, ‘Mojito.’
Then the Coffee Cups.
I loved these until the caterpillars rained down poop into the cups. https://floweralley.org/2017/08/19/coffee-cups-caterpillar-crapper/
Now I have a new one, ‘Frydek’/ Alocasia micholitzana.
This one looks nothing like the label, so I do not trust this name. The leaf shape is the same, but the coloration is different. This may be due to a difference in the amount of sunlight.
Five different ears with similar shape and different coloration.
I hope you appreciate my cutting my ears off for you.
FLOW van Gogh
floweralley 