Variegated ears



Right around the time ears of corn are best here, the elephant ears really come into their own. I have them all over the property—mainly the Black Magic and Illustris, but also these two variegated types, one from Plant Delights (Nancy’s Revenge, close-up and larger view above) and one from Brent and Becky’s, (Yellow Splash, below).


These are slower to get going than the reliable Illustris, which fills a container (below) in no time, but patience is beginning to be rewarded. We’ve had tons of wet weather, too, which is OK, but they do like some sun and especially heat to develop their unusual striations. There’s still plenty of time; I look forward to enjoying these—and seeing more dramatic marking—later and through most of October.


This is where variegation makes a lot of sense. I don’t really need a variegated columbine (don’t the leaf miners do that job anyway?) but an ear is a big leaf, when all’s said and done and it’d be pretty boring if they were all one color.

Comments

paisley penguin said…
When I lived in North Carolina I had an Elephant ear which I loved. Sadly, I left it behind when I moved back to Washington state and it really won't grow well here. I do have rhubarb which is a "close" second.

Love your garden!
Anonymous said…
Your ears are 'floating' over the coleus to great effect.
Loren said…
I love your clever blog, and garden pics! It is very helpful to me since we live in the same state. I have a gardening question for you. I bought a beautiful ornamental pepper plant, re-potted it and put a sunny spot in my kitchen. Do you think it will live indoors, and should I prune it regularly?
-Loren Christie
Gina said…
these ears remind me of other crap I meant to do this season and never got around to it. I'm tempted to go buy a garden journal (like carol said) and start writing this stuff down as I think of it.
EAL said…
Loren, I think people keep those going over the winter. I would guess you should pretty much leave it alone between Jan-April. That's how it works with most other houseplants anyway--with notable exceptions.

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