Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 40

GEORGIA Gardens

By Helen Newling Lawson

What big ears
you have!
Add drama to your landscape
with elephant ears

I

n their native Asia, elephant ears grow in
tropical forests, but they are equally at home
in our climate. Bodie Pennisi, a professor of horticulture at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens,
calls elephant ears "an excellent choice for Georgia
landscapes."
But the plants we collectively call "elephant ears"
are not all the same. There are three different (although
closely related) species: Colocasia, Alocasia and
Xanthosoma. Differentiating between the species can be
difficult, but luckily you don't need to know the species
to grow them successfully, since all have similar needs.

Exploring your options
Exciting new options for size, shape and color
are hitting the market every year.
Some horticulturists are breeding to make
plants as large as possible, like Colocasia 'Jack's
Giant,' while others are striving to create varieties
suited to smaller yards and containers. Leaves
can vary in shape, including the upward-curving
Colocasia 'Coffee Cups' and the scallop-edged
Alocasia amazonica varieties known as "African Mask."
The range of available foliage hues proves you don't
need flowers to have color. In addition to leaf shades of
lime green, black, pink and purple (including multicolored
patterns), there are also varieties with colorful leaf veins
and stems.

Fertilize elephant ears monthly using a liquid or granular
fertilizer, starting when the foliage emerges in spring. If your
yard has either too much heavy clay or quick-draining sand,
work in lots of organic soil amendments and possibly some
slow-release fertilizer before planting.
Although the tubers can be large, they do not need to be
planted deeply. Two to 4 inches below the soil line is plenty.
Tubers are best planted in spring, after the danger of frost has
passed.

40

Georgia Magazine

July 2019

COURTESY PLANT DELIGHTS NURSERY

Growing elephant ears

Colocasia 'White Lava'



Georgia Magazine - July 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - July 2019

Contents
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - Intro
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - Cover1
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - Cover2
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - Contents
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 4
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 5
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 6
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 7
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 8
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 9
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 10
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 11
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 12
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 13
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 14
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 15
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 16
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 17
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 18
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 19
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Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 21
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Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 24
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 25
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 26
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 27
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 28
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 29
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Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 38
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 39
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 40
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 41
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 42
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Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 45
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - 46
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - Cover3
Georgia Magazine - July 2019 - Cover4
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