The Best Colocasias to Add Tropical Flair to Your Summer Garden

These easy-to-grow tender perennials are instant focal points that will kick your borders up a notch

Most likely aboriginal to Southeast Asia , colocasia ( Colocasiaesculenta , Zones 7b–12 ) is used by many nurseryman for its large , tropic - looking foliation . This industrial plant also has a long history of being used in cooking . Visitors to Hawaii are often treat to poi , a starchy Polynesian eatable solid food paste made from its rootlike corm . Common names of colocasias include taro , eddo , dasheen , and elephant ’s capitulum . Elephant ’s ear is the most usually used common name , but that can be confusing because industrial plant called elephant ’s ear occur from several different genera , includingColocasia , Alocasia , andXanthosoma , all of which are member of the arum family ( Araceae ) . While there are several different species of colocasia , cultivar and hybrids ofColocasia esculentaare the main I you will find being sell in garden centers to home gardener .

A history of ornamental excellence

I do n’t grow genus Colocasia for food . In fact , unless cooked , every part of this plant is poisonous to world . I maturate it for its wonderfully declamatory , bodacious , in - your - face leaf . It add up just the right bold texture to a container or a tropical feel to the herbaceous border . In the South and southeasterly United States , colocasia is easy to uprise and appreciates the heat and humidity of our originate time of year . Leaf size can range from less than 6 in wide all the style to 2 foot across . I ’ve been growing and collect colocasias since the early 2000s . It was during this time that many new ornamental mixed bag came to the securities industry . Many of these were bred by now - hit the hay University of Hawaii professor John Cho , who was already well known for breeding genus Colocasia as a intellectual nourishment crop . Dr. Cho started breeding decorative cultivars , which became the main catalysts for many of the wonderful selection now on the market .

Provide rich soil for best results

Dan Benarcik , a horticulturalist atChanticleer Gardenin Pennsylvania , wrotean articlethat I love on colocasia and other elephant ’ ears . I make out to Dan for his advice on growing genus Colocasia in our region . He told me , “ These plants do n’t need anything fancy . They love full-bodied , organic , moisture - laden compost for their etymon to get ‘ down and dirty ’ in . you may spend a lot of money on fine soil choices , but my effective result has come from the bottom of the compost heap . Even if the stuff is n’t yet in full break up , they will boom . ” Dan and I have had standardized experiences , as I have set up that colocasia loves moist and organically rich soil . Adding extra supplementary fertilizer at regular interval during the farm season will yield large , attractive foliage . As for sun vulnerability , most variety thrive in full sun or fond shadiness .

Hardiness and overwintering

Is genus Colocasia sturdy in our region ? This is a cunning question , and I pause to refer to colocasia as solidly dauntless . I do have several selection that have persist year after year in my garden in Tennessee . Others just lasted a few year and then melt forth . As a ruler of pollex , gardener in Zone 7b and below should take more caution in overwintering if they want plants to return every year .

I ask horticulturist and garden designerTroy Mardinfor his thoughts on validity . He said , “ Many sort of genus Colocasia are brave in much of the South , but I always pot up some offsets from my favorite , intemperate - to - find varieties in late summertime andoverwinter them . ” This is solid advice , as colocasias are easy to put in over the wintertime and you do n’t need to keep them actively growing . I pot set off up , always keep them on the juiceless side , and overwinter them in a garden shed or storage elbow room where it does n’t freeze .

Picking the Best Varieties

There really is no comfortably - of - the - good genus Colocasia . There is only one that is good for you and your place . I do have my front-runner , and New upbringing has brought us a whirlwind of new cultivars . Many fresh cultivar have vibrantly colour stems or glazed leaves that can really place upright out . Here are a few spectacular cultivars .

Royal Hawaiian®‘Maui Gold’ colocasia

Colocasia esculenta‘Maui Gold ’ , zone 8–12

Royal Hawaiian ® ‘Maui Gold ’ colocasia is a clump - forming elephant ’s pinna that was released to the world in 2012 . Stems arch up to 4 foot high and produce amber - chartreuse leaves . Plant it in the ground or in containers . In combining with dark foliage and complementary blooming annuals , you ca n’t go wrong with this choice .

Pharaohs Mask™ colocasia

Colocasia‘Cophama ’ , zone 7b–12

Pharaohs Mask ™ genus Colocasia brings bright green leaves with bulging royal veins to the garden . This plant is candidly hard to look away from . Perhaps a lilliputian slower ontogenesis than other survival of the fittest , it still performs admirably . Leaves can be as high as 4 pes grandiloquent at season ’s remainder . This is such a special plant that it is worth overwintering in cold geographical zone .

‘Illustris’ colocasia

Colocasia esculentavar.antiquorum‘Illustris ’ , zona 7b–12

‘ Illustris ’ is an golden oldie but a goodie . tremendous , elongated nub - shape leaves are stale black with green veins . Older clumps can originate up to 5 feet tall during the growing season . Overall hassle - liberal in the garden , this works can even take hold its own as the sole resident of a garden container .

These truly are wonderful plant life that should be included in almost every garden . Easy to grow year - round in strong zones and overwinter in colder one , they will continue to leave monumental appeal year after year .

For more southeastern regional reports , click here .

— Andy Pulte is a module member in the plant sciences section at the University of Tennessee .

Photos : Andy Pulte

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