Elephant Ears...

[Leah]

Hi, y'all. I have a question that is one of the main reasons I joined this forum:

I happened to be in Wal-Mart last week and noticed there were two bulbs in their gardening department: an elephant ear and an elephant ear mammoth. According to their baggies, they are the same size in regards to how tall they will be, but the bulbs were two different sizes (the mammoth was larger). I've searched on the internet and asked around, and nobody seems to know the difference.

I was wondering if anyone here has any elephant ear expertise and could possibly help me discern which one I want and whether or not I should even get them from Wal-Mart (as my town has no garden specialty centers/IGCs.

Thanks in advance. Have a nice day.

 

[firelily99]

I'm no expert but it probably won't make a difference. Plants will generally grow to their proscribed height and I have seen this happen with tulips and bulbs of varying sizes. Elephant ears are notoriously slow growing so my dad used to plant them inside in pots early to help them get a jump on things.

 

[Pat]

I don't know that there were size differences. I love the plant when It gets large enough to look like an umbrella. I am glad you posted as it is a reminder to me to get my plant now so that it will be ready to go in the yard when the weather changes.

Good luck.

 

[gata montes]

There are hundreds of different varieties of what are commonly known as Elephant Ears in terms of both color and size - as well as those which require different growing conditions.

Unless you have a very large area in which you are planning to grow your Elephants Ears - I would suggest that you pick the smaller one - as there is a very large difference in size as well as required growing conditions - between the two most commonly sold varieties - which are

Colocasia Esculenta - Elephant Ears or Taro

Colocasia Esculenta commonly known as Taro or Elephant Ears - is a half hardy perennial requiring moist soil and full sun - unless grown in low humidity climates - then it would require some afternoon shade. Grows to a maximum of 6ft high with a maximum spread of the same at around 6ft

Alocasia Macrorrhiza Gigantea - Mammoth or Giant Elephant Ears or Taro

Alocasia Macrorrhiza Gigantea commonly known as Mammoth or Giant Elephant Ears - is a very hardy perennial that requires part to full shade and needs to be kept moist with good air circulation - however as I think that you can probably see from the pictures - it is considerably larger and needs a great deal of room particularly as - it can reach between 12 - 15ft in in height and 6 - 10ft wide with leaves that are up to 4 - 6ft long and 2 - 4ft wide.

Virtually all varieties of Elephant Ears are perennial and therefore don't need replacing every year and once they are established - need very little maintenance other than keeping the soil moist.

Hopefully this information will assist you when deciding which type of Elephant Ear plant you want to grow and should you need more - please feel free to ask

 

[Leah]

WOW! That is one huge plant!

Thank you all so much for your replies, and thanks for all the information, gata montes (PS, the kitty in your display picture is adorable!).

I will probably get a couple of each and then go from there. I'll keep you all updated, if you want.

 

[Pat]

That plant is huge, how long does it take for it to get that big? This has been a very good lesson on a plant that I will have in my yard this spring. I will not get the Mammoth, I think that is way to large.

I didn't know there are so many to choose from.

 

[gata montes]

Leah - Yes Elephant Ears do very quickly become really enormous plants - often much bigger than most people realize - but think they always look absolutely stunning wherever they are - I love them and yes would love to know which you choose and what they look like once you've got them growing - so please keep us posted.

Oh and thank you - naturally I would have to agree with you - he is an incredibly gorgeous cat with a truly adorable character - but considerably larger now than he was in that photo - which was taken when he was just over 5 months old


Pat - They get large quite rapidly but don't reach their full size in their first year and yes there are hundreds of different varieties to choose from with in terms of leave shape and color formations - which makes it particularly hard to decide which one you like the best - as they are all visually very striking

Here are a few more variations for you

Colocasia - Nancey's Revenge

Colocasia Illustris

Colocasia Black Magic

Colocasia - Variegated

 

[Leah]

I see that! Thanks for sharing all of the information you've gleaned.

 

[Treeca86]

I love Elephant Ears. A Mammoth Elephant, the leaves just get bigger. They are lovely. I even love Caladiums and Black Magics. They are similar to Elephant Ears.

 

[auntiecindi]

Ditto to the WOW those are awesome, BTW where is the adorable kitty, the plants are so big that they are all I see.

 

[DirtMechanic]

This post ended in 2014. You may not get a response. They are cool to see are they not? I would love to have some huge ears in my yard.