Mine didnt break ground til August last year. They are tropical and require warmth.
Kathy

Most years it is not warm enough for tropical plants here until June.

Grrrrrrr. I wish some of these packages had better labelling for people like me!! I'll try and grow them in the house then. I bought two new urns and had visions of how they would look with these elephant ears in them. I replaced them with some big leafed hostas instead.

HOw do you handle them in the fall? Do you bring them inside or put them in the garage like a brug? I have had one as a houseplant and loved it. I would love to grow them outside.

Heather

This was my first year trying elephant ears. I put mine in a big pot. Set it on top of my freezer(inside) about 6 weeks ago. I now have some sprouts just popping out of the ground. Hope the weather turns warmer soon so it can continue outside.

Yep, mine has been in the greenhouse for 1 1/2 months. Warm & cozy days, but chilly nights. Still nothing. But, I keep the faith.

Hello,
New member, came across this post while searching for help with my colocasia. I bought the same 3 pack from Costo, planted them in March, nothing happening so today I dug them up to see if they had rotted or died.
They're growing pink corms? I'm digging a bog trench next to our pond, putting them in there today, next to the tiny gunnera. I read somewhere that they like to be in boggy soil, hopefully they'll grow nice and big.

Yes, they do like boggy areas.

What is the name of the Tiny Gunnerea????? I've been wondering if such a thing existed!!

The Gunnera is not supposed to be small, we've had it a couple of years. It's been through trying times, it's been snowed on (who knew it would actually snow??), not watered as much as it should have, moved. This year I put it in it's own half barrel next to the pond (and next to the bog) and am watering it religiously. It seems to be responding. Poor thing. We're hoping it gets HUGE. Although, I'm sure it's size will be restricted by the fact that it's in a barrel, not the ground.

Here is a link that might be useful: Joanne's Plant Projects

It is tiny! :) I hope it grows for you this year!

I love the foliage of gunneras and the conditions they grow in, but if I get a "real" one it will take up half my yard and half the pond! So I want to find something that has a similar look/feel.

Thanks.

I brought both green and "black" elephant ears back from TX in March. I potted them up and placed them against the south-facing wall of my back porch...they now have small leaves and are loving the warmth and plenty of water.

Patrick

I had a large elephant ears in a pot last year and never got around to digging it up last fall. I never expected it to overwinter, but a few weeks age I saw it had shoots coming up. The pot it is in was against the house and under a deep eave, so that must have been enough protection to make it through the mild winter.

I got a similar 3 pack from Lowes, 2 of them are in separate containters. I'm glad to find out they like boggyness (is that a word?) because the containters don't have great drainage. I did plant a bunch of nasturtiums seeds around and they are doing great. Both have a pointed spike coming out above the bulb. Since it sounds like it will be a while, I'll probably plant a few more seeds to fill in the empty spots.

Many varieties of elephant ears will come back even with a freeze. I don't think leaving them in the ground around here should be a big problem. Covering with a good mulch would give it some added protection, but zone 7b-8 they should be pretty safe even without it. We had them in Louisiana and we have about the same lows there as we do here in the Seattle area. The main problem would be getting enough heat on them to make them nice and big!

I bought a 3 pack from costco for about 10$ a year ago. A couple of weeks later I read that they sell the same thing in some asian produce stores calling it taro. I spent under 2$ for a bag full. Indeed they looked alike.

Mike

I also bought the three pack of elephant ears at Costco this spring. One of them has done fabulously, and has two large leaves right now. I planted it in a pot, and just moved it out to the front porch last week. The other two did not do anything. They seem to have rotted in the pts that I put them in. I'm just glad that one survived.

Glenda

hey i bought the same three pack thing. i started them in the house and kept them quite damp most of the time. they are all big and have at least three leaves each. they are getting hot in my window sill so i will be moving them outside very soon. i think the warmth of the house and warm window sills made them sprout quickley. i'm going to move them into a big pot all together so they look big and full out in the yard. i really think in my area they will have to come inside for the winter.

To kosmosmom:

If you are looking for something that is like a gunnera with big leaves a rhubarb plant would be ideal. It provides nice colour, you can clip it as needed, and is pretty well guaranteed to grow all season and comes back even better every year. A lot of people can't even tell the difference. Just make sure to cut it before it goes to seed.

I've grown it along with artichoke plant for display for many years and they always make a spectacular impression.
My artichoke grew to 10' last year and is already halfway there this year.

Good luck

Thank you so much for the suggestions! And the advice on cutting before going to seed - good to know!

I'll check them both out. (The rhubarb and artichoke.)

Thanks!

I live in zone 6 and kept some elepahnt ears in pots throughout the summer.

Several frosts have done them in and I am wondering if I were to remove the bulbs from the pots, dry and store in peat moss for the winter in a cool place will they be able to be planted next spring?

My Elephant Ears got nailed by the frost. All the large leaves have melted off, but a few smaller ones exist. I have never tried wintering them indoors as a house plant. Has anyone had much success in doing so and then bringing them back outside in the spring?
Do they need that winter rest, or can they stay green/black all year long?

Have a good day (now that the rain is gone)
Scott