immediately after I took these pics yesterday I watered these EEs..a top leaf was wavy and limp on the one in the red pot..today it's looking much better..

unfortunately I think some stems on the one in the brown urn are permanently curved..saw this idea reading old posts about runners..

Those runners look exactly like the ones on my Pink China. I have saucers under the pots with water, otherwise mine would already be dead in the heat. If the runners reach the water they grow leaves and roots within one or two days. I read that Colocasia need a lot of water and bought big saucers for them. Took a pic of the babies only yesterday...now you can have your own :-)

your baby EEs are adorable :-) the only thing I accomplished in the garden today was watering..my mom had a rash on her feet and I took her to the Dr..tomorrow I'm taking my father to an eye Dr appt..maybe Wednesday I can get some work done..

Mine have drooped after transplants and after loosing some leaves they grow more. Sometimes mine have drooped just because of the heat. Then perk back up when watered and it cools down in the evening.

jay..it's been raining for hours..and more tomorrow..I hope it helps them!!..in my pics above of the one in the red pot - see the bulb sticking out of the soil?..do I need to plant it lower?..I guess the bulb's gotten bigger and is now above the surface of the soil..

We had some nice showers tonight :-) In the morning I decided to divide the three Pink China and give each it's own pot. This way they have more light and I hope they built up nice bulbs in the bigger pots...

Backlit Colocasia Black Magic...my cat decided to photobomb every picture today:-) He loves when I'm outside with him...

just now I ran out to take pics..5 wasted days as far as gardening goes..Mon,Tues my parents appts..Wed,Thurs,Fri rain,rain,rain..we did lots of errands and started looking for new chairs..productive but the garden was ignored..here's the plants on the deck today..

both curcumas have blooms..I pulled the stakes out of my transplanted EE..I'm going to lose some leaves..they're yellowing..and quite a few stems will never stand up in my opinion but I felt like it needed to be moved..no regrets..this one doesn't droop but I wonder if it will need a bigger pot too :-(see the bulb?..I don't know if that's ok?.I've mentioned this but haven't had anyone say anything about it..I hope this short runner opens a leaf..instead of growing longer like the others..you do a good job working with yours..this canna was just a rhizome that I planted in June..I doubt if it will bloom but I don't care..you can see the other side of my droopy EE in the background..just wanted to show you some self seeded impatiens..2 with blooms and another on the bottom right corner..I'm thinking about leaving the tulip tree..see 3 leaves to the left of Venusta?..I see lots of them and pull them out..usually they're in a bad spot..the weather is nice today..I slept until almost noon!!..but I want to go out and see what I can do..your EEs (and everything else) looks great as always :-) wanted to mention the plants in my small colorful pots have grown a lot..they need attention..the squirrels have been by..I hope next year now that we have stands I get off to a good start and they can add to the look of my "jungle on the deck"..

Hey, everyone, I had transplanted my Pink China small bulb, or corm, whatever you call it ( I actually had 2 of them that I transplanted this spring) and I am shocked that both of them seemed to pop up and stay above ground for about a week and a half tops, then they just seemed to disappear. I planted both in shade, and one of them was pretty much watered every 3rd day or 4th day at the longest in between, unless it had rained, the other was in mostly shade, and was watered at least once every 7th day, but, they just seemed to wither away and disappear. I had fertilized one very generously, the other had been given a bit of fertilzer, but, not much. I'm in zone 6a Pa, so what do you think I did wrong? I will not be shocked if both of these plants pop up in the same place next spring, but, I really am thinking that they hadn't been around long enough to have stored enough energy to sprout again in spring 2019, and really put out much growth, and stick around very long, so should I have potted mine in a big pot, and only plant in ground once they have grown for several seasons? What did I do wrong to make mine just die down after a couple of weeks, AGAIN, I made sure they had plenty of water, and 1 I fertilized and watered very well, still, they just seemed like spring effemerels, I know I misspelled that, but, you know what I mean.

poaky..sorry that your Pink China EEs disappeared..I am NOT an EE expert..my best guess would be a combination of wet and cold rotted your corms..I've never had a Pink China..I've heard they are a more cold hardy EE but I wouldn't plant them here in the ground until mid May..we get freezes in the spring..and I wouldn't overwinter in the ground..I do have Musa Basjoo bananas that overwinter in the ground in a protected spot but when I tried 4 cannas in that same area they didn't come back..if I were you I would try a pot for any black varieties..the green EEs have big corms and dig easily but I've read the black ones have small corms and do best in pots..you keep them growing in the winter inside then put out when the weather's warm..of course in a warm climate they can live in the ground forever..I hope yours come back next year but I don't think they will..

I have my Pink China standing in a saucer with water from the moment I put the pot outside. I read that they need a lot of water and that's true. The water vanishes every day and sometimes I have to give them a refill morning and evening. I also read that Pink China are cold hardy and maybe I try my luck with one of the bigger plants in a protected area of the garden.

Today I got a Colocasia esculenta Midori sour, a small plant, but with very nice leaves. I should better learn to resist the offers in the plants forum...lol, will not happen, you know me :-)

I hope the flower on Pink China will open and not dry out as the first ones...

My 7-year old grandson helped me with some gardening work on Saturday and he was fascinated by the EEs showing his mom every single leaf :-)

it makes sense that the stems need to be hydrated to hold up the big leaves..but I read that a newly planted corm could rot if planted in standing water..my black EEs are not in standing water and are growing but you've had much hotter weather..I saw a post where someone has her EE pot sitting in a bucket of water and her plant is doing well..I love how that you admit that you can't stop buying plants!!..I have the same problem :-) ..I love your new EE!..pretty leaf color..I hope the bloom opens on your Pink China..I think it's supposed to be fragrant..you're creating some nice memories with your grandson..

When I put the bulb in soil mid of March I only sprayed them from time to time until the first roots had built, but when I took them outside I started to give them plenty of water.

that's logical..my EEs had more rain and less heat..so I didn't water mine as much as you did..what's your best guess as to why poaky's EE died?..the soil in your pot inside was no doubt warmer than the ground where poaky planted hers..when I think of where these plants thrive the ground is always warm..I need to wait quite awhile after winter before my soil is warm..I wait until mid May (or later) to plant annuals or tender perennials outside..

Those plants grow best in tropical countries and here in Europe a lot of people in hot Hungary cultivate them and I read that they love swamplike conditions, also saw them standing in the lower zones of garden ponds. So I gave them more water than the hosta and had them under the umbrella in half shade all the time. If I get some bulbs I will try more options next year. I do not water from above, only refill the saucer same as with my begonia. But I think it's the luck of a bloody beginner so far. I hope I made no mistake when I separated those three big plants, but I think the first pot was not deep enough for them to built bulbs and the old soil was a bit smelly. The worst that can happen is that I need to go shopping again next year...

Here's a picture with the saucers I use.

they're so cute!..I wonder when (if ever) they'll need a bigger pot?..until this year I hadn't grown Jack's Giants in pots..but I knew how big they get and put them in my biggest pot..I know just one person (a neighbor) that has EEs..she grows in average sized pots and takes the bulbs out for the winter..I think she does one bulb per pot..I put 4?5? in my pot and some had multiple growing tips..all of her EEs are green..she has both alocasia and colocasia..I plan to bring my 2 black ones in their pots inside and let them grow all winter..I'll dig up all of my Jack's Giants (including the ones in the pot) and store in cardboard boxes inside..I COULD start my Jack's Giants in my new pots before it's warm outside..but I don't know if it's worth the mess to have those fairly big pots inside..sounds much easier to place my pots outside then fill and plant..keep me posted on the ones you separated and replanted..I'm still concerned about my black EE in the red pot..I hate the thought of replanting it but the partially exposed bulb worries me..for me (so far) watering the soil with a watering can hasn't caused problems for the ones in the pots..I've also read that they can grow in standing water..I'm still a beginner too..not much ahead of you :-)

Maybe that exposed bulb is not such a big problem. Plants are pretty good in dealing with different conditions. I had so many hosta heaved out of the ground last winter, the roots all exposed to frost and snow and rain and they all survived.

When do you bring them inside? Do you stop watering at a certain time and let them dry up a little?

when we get close to freezing temps - late Oct? early Nov? I'll bring in the black EEs and keep watering but not as much..I'll dig the Jack's Giants before the frost kills the foliage..the books say dig after but I want to see where they are and it's uncomfortable digging in cold soil..even worse after a hard freeze..they were fine after last year when I did it this way..I wonder if EEs go into dormancy in a warm climate?..my black ones were up all year last year..but not pretty in the winter..since yours are all in pots will you bring them in and keep them going?..or store the dormant bulbs?..

the exposed bulb EE seems to be fine..I can't find good info about whether the bulb can show or if it should be completely buried..I'll probably move it in the winter and make a big mess in the house haha..

I will keep a small one in a pot over winter and the rest will be stored in sawdust. That's what the seller recommended. I only have 60 squaremeter and there is no room inside for such big plants :-(

I completely understand!!..I've been reading..I took this screenshot to show you..

I'm bringing the black ones in only because I read that people had problems when they dug the tubers..it would be ridiculous to bring my Jack's Giants into the house..they barely fit thru the door :-)

Karin..another screenshot..

more water - even standing water for colocasias..less for your alocasia..someone offered me an alocasia when they dig them up..they took my number..hope they call..

My Alocasia Calidora is also in shade under the umbrella and has it's first baby :-)

It is drinking the water as rapidly as the Colocasias, but I will be careful...I also read that it is better to overwinter Alocasia in pots because they do not built up big bulbs like colocasia.

It is still hot here but they say the temperatures will fall this weekend, but no rain in the forecast for the next weeks...I really can not remember times like this. Everything outside the well kept gardens is brown and dead, even the big trees show signs of dying, no food for the milk cows, the farmers had no hay harvest this year and no corn...it is heartbreaking...we have big water reservoirs over here, but they lost more than 50% this year and that has never happenend before and it is the same all over Europe...

I've read that alocasias perform better as houseplants than colocasias..if I get an alocasia I would keep it growing inside during the winter..the stories about the weather and it's effects are depressing :-( ..we've had some dry spells but nothing like your experience..was nice today 73°F..don't know the Celsius equivalent..but next week 93°F..20 degrees higher!..about 33? 34? degrees Celsius right?..no gardening today..we went to order chairs..yay the decision is over!..they will be nice..I plan to work outside tomorrow..looking forward to it..

Hi everyone, Karin, I am almost half Hungarian in ancestry, I've never been there though, but, anyway, to anyone, I know that my ground was warm enough, I planted it in May, and we had no late frost this year, a rare thing, and we had mostly 90'sF the whole summer. I had a thermometer that said in the 90's F many days in a row this summer. I am thinking that where I had planted 1 of the Pink Chinas may have had too much sun. It was under a Chestnut oak tree of decent size, but, it may have been sunny on that side of the tree just a bit too long, but, I mulched around the Pink China, and watered it when no rain was coming regularly, but, maybe it needed watered a bit more. AS far as the other bulb of Pink China, I have 1 leaf that has popped up likely within the last couple days, just 1 leaf. I never knew that Pink China had a "bloom" ever. I'll just try and mulch the area and hope next spring it will have more roots, and can stay around longer, I did receive very small bulbs/corms/roots. BTW, I had a Musa Banana plant before, and it had come back up from the roots the second year, but, died out the 3rd. I will try again next spring, and I think as long as I keep mulching generously, I can keep one alive for much longer than 2 seasons.

Thanks everybody for answering my post.

poaky..I hope your Pink China keeps growing..I think tropical plants are so much fun..I love the way they look..

The Pink China flower did not open up properly. We had a row of very hot days again and maybe that's the problem. But there is a second one in waiting and it had cooled down over night so maybe I will have more luck...

I dug out Ventricosa and Gold Standard yesterday to divide and pot them, they are a good measure for the leaf size of the EEs.

And they are standing more upright when it is cooler.

Karin..I'm sorry the bloom declined :-( it's great there's another on the way..we have a dark and severe storm this morning..supposed to be sunny later..too dark for any pics..the stems on Pink China are so pretty..I like the pale gray urn?..2 bowls?..in front of the EEs..is that a Blue Mouse Ears in it?..

Yes, Blue Mouse Ears, Jessica Alba, Little Treasure and Lakeside Lollipop all together in those 2 bowls :-) Divided BME in May but it is already big again...

Okay, Nichols and Karin, I will likely get another Pink China bulb or 2 next spring, and keep the plants in a large pot until they have a large rootmass. AS far as the pink China 1 leaf that just came up in my raised bed, IF I can see it still tommorrow, I will try and throw extra mulch around it, but, I doubt it will still be visable. I will add that I have a couple bulbs of Calla Lillies, a plant that is usually zone 8a hardy in this same raised bed. That Calla Lily plant had a couple of blooms on it this summer, it's only in part sun, or it may have bloomed better in full sun. I would think that surely it will die this winter, BUT.....I have been growing them for at least 3 winters in a raised bed next to my house, without lifting them, the bad part is that this bed is in too much shade for them to bloom really good. I get GREAT lush foliage, but, no blooms. So, I am thinking of trying to get another raised bed going, and to mulch it really well, like those that had grown that great foliage for over 3 years. Anyway, I am thinking that growing the Pink China EE in pots until there is a sizeable mass of roots or corms, will really help me have success with the plant. I had tried to just plant the small little sections of roots, but, of course it may just be that next year these small sections of roots or corms will show that they have matured in the ground. I guess we'll see.

poaky..it sounds like you found the perfect microclimate for your calla lillies..I tried one years ago in a pot..barely made it one summer..hope the plan works out with Pink China..gardening is challenging isn't it?..

Calla lilies? Is this one?

I had those a few years ago and now I wonder what had happened to that plant...Maybe I should get some next year and put them between the EEs...

We had a cool week and signs of fall are to be seen everywhere :-(

I really liked my first season with EEs and they still look good. The biggest leaf so far is on Alocasia Calidora, much bigger than a leaf of my Blue Angel...

I*m busy digging out my big hostas to repot them because it is easier to water them in pots. I could have divided a few but did not have the heart...they look so good and to cut them in pieces was too much for me :-)And here's the next Pink China flower in waiting...

Karin..I've been outside for the last 2 days but I haven't transplanted my EE into the new pot :-( too many other chores..finally planted 2 Fire Islands and a Krossa Regal..watering..filling in around a few plants where squirrels have been digging..picking up debris..we cut up a few limbs (too big to chip) for today's trash pick up..we moved a concrete planter - it was covered by an Annabelle hydrangea that I didn't want to cut..I didn't even have any plants in it!..looks great in it's new home..stuck a sad little coleus in it that was once kidnapped by a squirrel..found the pot right away but the coleus was missing for a few days..it won't be there a long time but it makes me happy to see a plant in the pot..we found a spot for my tall black planters..we put some concrete circles there to sit them on..placed a few rocks..added some to our not quite finished edging..put a couple by the walkway..pics to come..

ken made a comment once about large hostas..someone asked "shouldn't I divide this?"..he said something like you wait for a hosta to mature and finally it looks great..so why would you want to hack it into pieces?..you made a good decision in my opinion :-)

Seems like your days are filled with those little tasks :-) But that's the way it goes over here too. There is a plan and when I start everything is ok but then I see this and that and one thing leads to another and suddenly it is getting dark ...and when I look at my plan I mostly have done a lot of other things...lol...There are not many hours for gardening left during the week, the heat is gone and it would be nice outside but the night comes so fast now :-( I was at the sawmill last weekend and ordered some nice larch boards for more garden structures to give the hosta some height and gain room for the EEs.Until I get the boards I need to dig out more hosta and repot them so the weekend will be full of work...

Krossa Regals (with bricks to deter squirrels)..the square concrete planter and the purple stone fill in the corners..there's a stone on the other side too..Fire Islands..will have stone edging someday..ferns and Praying Hands to plant..on my to do list..I love seeing my curcumas from the kitchen..this runner is leafing out..so long and sort of ugly lol..the first job when I start working today - repot this EE..
all of my caladiums are planted in my pots..11 total..will NOT buy any more (since I'd like to stay married)..but I love what I have..I've enjoyed this pot..see some inground EEs in the background?husband set 4 new stones on this edging..will have a horseshoe shape..needs maybe 3? more..we still have hot weather..equivalent to 32+ Celsius..I'm plugging along..nothing is as tidy as I would like..when you have space it's easy to have a mess haha..do you build your sheving?..if so that's impressive!..I need more stands..it's on my to do list but it's my husband's job lol..I think elevating pots makes a big difference..I can't believe how your Pink China produces blooms..I still love my "only leaves" EEs..have a good garden day :-)

I forgot to ask..how are the EEs that you planted separately from the original plant?..still growing?

I have two of those babies left, the others I gave to friends, no way to grow them all next year :-)

There's a baby on Alocasia Calidora too...I had a hard day in the garden, dug out some really big hosta and potted them without dividing...Sum and Substance among them...

I'm building my shelves with wood and stones, very easy to accomplish, no need to use saws or other dangerous tools...here is an example, I will add two more lower stairs on both sides as soon as I get my new planks. And I want to add two more of those constructions the way they form an open suare and in the square I want to plant the EEs next year and the hosta shelves can give them shade...at least this is my plan :-)

Funny way to protect your hosta from squirrels :-) I like the coleus planted in the same pot with EEs. I might copy this next spring...And I hope to get some Caladiums...not so easy to buy them here but maybe I will be lucky and someone in the plant group has them...

I replanted my EE..2 pieces practically fell off when I lifted it out of the pot..I could've planted them in other pots but I put everything in one big pot..I buried part of the runners..I left the ends exposed..I wonder if the nodes along the stem that's buried now will produce leaves?..had to stake the largest leaves..I planted the tuber upright even though the stems lay sort of horizontally..as they die the new leaves should be straight..

The connection between mama and baby started to dry out the moment I had planted the baby and broke after a few days. I only planted the roots and they got hold quickly.

It's cold and stormy outside and I will enjoy a lazy day with the cat on the couch :-)

I saw a sturdy white root about the size of a pencil..and I'd never noticed that roots were coming out of the bottom of the pot that I took it out of..I'll post a pic tomorrow..I took pics tonight but it was too dark..they were terrible and I deleted them..yay - rain for your garden..

I hope there will be rain, but at the moment it is only strong wind. I visited my grandson yesterday and noticed that some big trees on the bank of the river have fallen. The water is so low that the current undermined their roots :-( and the wind surely helps to bring them down...

it's sad to see big trees go..

Guys, those nice pics of EE in those nice shady beds are intoxicating, I can't wait until it is cooler here, and I can finally spread my bags of mulch, and of course try and make an area for some new Pink China EE bulbs next spring. But, as for now, I do have a few leaves on my EE Pink China near the house, the 1 Leaf that had shown itself, that has gone away was an EE in the place under the Chestnut oak, it hasn't come back, but, those few leaves of EE are in a raised bed that is in mostly shade, it had shown a few leaves in spring, but, then nothing for most of the summer, and now it has shown a few leaves of the Pink China EE. I am thinking if I want to grow the Pink China EE under my Chestnut Oak next growing season, I am going to have to make a rich soil bed where they will be growing, unless just waiting until the EE have a bigger root mass will be enough. I'm thinking I'll have to really improve the soil, maybe even make a mound of rich water holding soil, and then after planting mulch it really heavily, THEN, provide a good bit of water unless it waters frequently. Oh, and fertilize pretty frequently.

Good plan, poaky! :-)

I'm hoping to get my plants safely over the winter and then I will see if they stay in pots or will be planted.

Just a little teaser :-) Look what I got today...only a small plant but I'm really happy that I got it at all...backlit because it is raining heavily and I can only take pictures inside...Colocasia esculenta White Lava

Karin..that's a fancy EE!..we're both crazy :-) ..I bought a curcuma yesterday..it's scorched now but will die back in 2 months anyway..and be fresh and pretty next year!..both of us have quite a bit to bring in :-(

took these just now..it's drizzling and getting dark..a squirrel (most likely) bit a stem :-( I put some pinecones in the pot hoping the squirrels wouldn't like it but I don't think it helped much..I have just a few..it's getting some new leaves..and a runner that I buried has surfaced..I was busy today and didn't give this EE any attention..I'd like to see if the stakes can be removed..

and now a new problem..I saw tufted titmice landing and sitting on my other EE!..they ruined a perfect leaf :-(

the droopy leaves are yellowing..will be happy to see them go..

Dufted titmice? I had to google them, they seem to be cute little birds just like our tits, but they are also little rascals :-) What did they do with that leaf, picking at some insects maybe and tearing it that way?

I'm still in the process of digging out hosta and repotting them so the evenings are filled with work. Yesterday we finally had a good amount of rain put it poured down like crazy and I will have to see if it caused damages when the daylight comes.

Can you immagine that I have not bought a single hosta for at least three months? They are getting bigger and I think I have enough for now..so I spent my plant money on the EEs and quite a few small succulents.

I'm already planning where to put all those plants during winter, I read a lot about overwintering Colocasia and my small plants need to stay in pots because they do not have the bulbs like the big ones...it will be like in jungle :-) I will also try to overwinter some coleus and there are a few bigger agaves and others which have to come in in the next weeks...

That curcuma looks quite big already and will come back nicely next year. I think I will try to get one of those next year to fill in under the EEs:-)

a little blurry..taken today from the kit window..it's rained all day..will tomorrow too..I have no idea why the tufted titmice were sitting on the EE leaves..I've never seen this until a few days ago..I HAVE noticed that you have fewer pics of new hostas!..the same here..I think both of us are trying to simplify and not be overwhelmed :-)

my winter kitchen "garden" will have 9 pots..the same 2 EEs but both bigger and in bigger pots..a hibiscus..a cordyline..an alternanthera I want to save..2 bromeliads, a croton and a begonia all small..no schefflera this year..I put it in the compost bin..I tried to give it away but everyone said no..the curcumas, caladiums and EE tubers are dormant and don't need light so can go in an out of the way spot..could you explain how you overwinter your coleus?..

It's my first try overwintering coleus...I will make some clippings from the mother plant and keep

the mother on a windowsill in a cool room and in my guestroom. I had to take the metal stairs in before it gets too wet and so I thought I use the room for plants as well. It's going to be one of my adventures :-) normally my succulents and palms overwinter in that room and so I will see if it is ok for others too. I will also put the smaller EEs on that stairs, I read they can be overwintered that way. The big Pink China I will overwinter as a tuber.

Next year this will be my sleeping room and the sleeping room will become my plant room. It has a southward faced window and is much bigger than the guestroom. It's wasted space. I only sleep there and so I can put my bed into the guestroom as well :-) The crazy plant lady is making plans again,lol...

I still love my hosta but there are so many interesting plants out there...and after that terrible hot summer I had to find something for the sunny spots and so I bought some succulents. I really like those little aeonium trees and I think succulents will be my next favourite hobby together with EEs.

EEs and hosta seem to have the same need for partial shade and a lot of water and so I will mix them up more next year and in my mind it already forms a nice picture, hope it will work out in reality. I'm never at a point where I can say my garden is complete...how boring that would be...I don't want to sit outside and only look at what is growing there...I need to have my hands in the dirt, contact with Mother Earth is very important for me...

still raining and I'm up early..rearranging your rooms sounds like a good plan..a better use of space for you..you've created a mini greenhouse!..I love my coleus and I'm tempted to overwinter it but I know that my husband would prefer it if I just buy a new one next year..succulents are interesting and attractive but I'm afraid to try them..I worry that without sun they wouldn't survive..I should read about them..how long have you had succulents?..there's so much to learn about plants!..I'll ALWAYS be involved with my outside space..when I stroll around this yard I feel guilty because I see plants that were ignored and I would've liked to take care of all of them..so I'm trying to grow enough plants to have a pretty garden but not so much that it stresses me to keep up lol..

I've had succulents all my life, but nothing spectcular. I got interested this summer because it was so hot and I was searching for alternatives for the sunny spots. There is a whole world to discover and I'm afraid I already got carried away:-) I think they will not thrive in your woodland, they really need sun...:-( The good thing is that they do not need much watering and that's a great plus, because as you say, you can only have a limited amount of plants if you want to care for them properly. It was hard work to water all the hosta this summer and with succulents I can have more plants with less work, perfect plan so far...

My kitchen table becoming a new habitat for succulents...

and I'm especially happy that my Pink Butterfly kalanchoe seedlings seem to grow...they are so tiny:-)

if I ever move to a warmer climate and have some sun I'll go crazy!!..finally able to buy plants that need sun..and have plants that I couldn't have in my cold climate..but I've thoroughly enjoyed the shade, the wildlife and the beauty of my woodland..it's been a great place for hostas..still raining..no gardening today..