THE COASTAL GARDENER:Elephant ears are easy summer plants

I spent this week in Chicago, exploring some great gardens and visiting with other nursery friends from around the country. My time in the Windy City reminded me of one of Orange County’s best, but most underused, summer plants: elephant ears. At The Chicago Botanic Garden, Lincoln Park and Garfield Park conservatories, downtown’s Millennium Park and almost any place with a morsel of soil, elephant ears were present. Tens of thousands grace Chicago’s urban landscapes and suburban gardens.

Rising above lush mixed planters and gracing pots everywhere, Chicagoans are in love with this easy summer tropical plant.

For drama in garden beds or pots, it’s tough to beat the bold foliage provided by elephant ears. Creative gardeners are learning to use this versatile plant’s bold leaves in borders as a backdrop for other tropical foliage plants like sweet potato vine (Ipomoea) or coleus, or as a bold foil over the softer greens of vinca, lysimachia ‘Goldilocks’ or English ivy.

Planted during warm summer months, elephant ears are easy to grow and quick to get established. Keep the soil moist and feed them regularly, that’s about all they ask of a busy gardener.

These are classic summer plants. Even in our mild coastal gardens, elephant ears, which grow from perennial underground tubers, will go dormant each winter.

Except in heavy clay soils, the tubers can be left in the ground over winter. However, in sticky clay soil, dig and store the tubers once they go to sleep. Then replant them again the following year in mid- to late spring.

A visit to a local garden center may uncover a few varieties to choose from.

Black magic and illustris are probably the most spectacular and most versatile of all the hybrids you might find.

But any elephant ear will quickly help your garden achieve a lush tropical feeling. Black magic sports an almost completely black leaf and a black stem as well, while illustris’ offers a more mysterious feel of velvety-black leaves, offset with lime-green veins.

Elephant ears, also known as imperial taro or colocasia esculenta, are grown in huge plantations in tropical areas, where it is a significant source of carbohydrates. In these regions, taro fills the niche potatoes occupy in American diets.

Back in Orange County, elephant ears need abundant summer moisture to thrive. They love moist conditions and will even be perfectly happy as a pond plant or partially submerged in a water tub.

In my garden, I keep several potted elephant ears, all sitting in separate oversized saucers of clear water. In heavy clay soil they appreciate the addition of plenty of organic amendment to improve drainage.

Feed elephant ears during the warm growing season only, using a balanced organic fertilizer. Elephant ears are low-maintenance plants. Just remove tattered or unattractive leaves to keep them looking their best.

To add instant tropical impact to a local garden, try adding a few elephant ear plants to your summer garden.

Unlike Chicago, where elephant ears are no more than a big warm-weather annual, in Orange County these can be permanent additions to our gardens. Perhaps elephant ears feel like I do: Chicago is a nice place to visit during the summer, but I wouldn’t want to be there in the winter.

Question: I want to start composting at home. Where can I learn more about how to go about this?

Tim

Costa Mesa

Answer: Good for you. I hope many more follow your lead. There are two excellent home composting workshops in Orange County. Both are 90 minute workshops with small fees and reservations required. Below are the next available classes: At The Fullerton Arboretum on September 8 from 10 to 11:30 a.m., call 714 278-3579. In San Juan Capistrano, September 23 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the city’s Community Gardens, call 949 234-4414.

ASK RON your toughest gardening questions, and the expert nursery staff at Roger’s Gardens will come up with an answer. Please include your name, phone number and city, and limit queries to 30 words or fewer. E-mail stumpthegardener @rogersgardens.com, or write to Plant Talk at Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.