elephant ear plant up close Colocasia Royal Hawaiian® Aloha Elephant Ear Bulb – Wayside Gardens

elephant ear plant up close Colocasia Royal Hawaiian® Aloha Elephant Ear Bulb – Wayside GardensColocasia Royal Hawaiian Aloha Elephant Ear is a robust, vigorous plant with an exceptionally dense overall habit and a mature size of 32 to 44 inches tall. A tropical head turner, Aloha offers bold color and texture to the summer garden. Its large, glossy, heart shaped leaves emerge dark olive green but rapidly become dark purple black with contrasting spring green veins. A Colocasia esculenta variety, commonly referred to as elephant ear or taro,

Colocasia Royal Hawaiian® Aloha Elephant Ear is a robust, vigorous plant with an exceptionally dense overall habit and a mature size of 32 to 44 inches tall. A tropical head-turner, Aloha offers bold color and texture to the summer garden. Its large, glossy, heart-shaped leaves emerge dark olive-green but rapidly become dark purple-black with contrasting spring green veins.

A Colocasia esculenta variety, commonly referred to as elephant ear or taro, Aloha is a tuberous rooted, frost-tender perennial (Zones 8-12) with a tidy, upright, clumping growth habit. This plant is an excellent choice for pond edges, rain gardens, and even areas with standing water. But it may best be grown in a large planter in cooler climates or where growth needs to be contained. Whether planted solo for its dramatic foliage or used in mass plantings to highlight vibrant flowers, Aloha adds a tropical flair to any garden.

Once established, Aloha elephant ear requires minimal care but must remain consistently moist. It prefers sunny to partially shady locations and fertile, rich soil. In hot summer climates, providing afternoon shade can protect it from stress. This deer-resistant plant is both practical and ornamental.

Plant Aloha elephant ear's 9- to 11-inch bulb (rhizome) in mid-spring, spacing them 18 to 24 inches apart and burying them 2 to 4 inches deep once soil and air temperatures consistently reach 60°F or higher. In colder climates, lift the bulbs in fall, store them in a dry location with the temperature at 50°F, and replant in spring after all threat of frost has passed.