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If you ’re look for a plant with unique foliage , take care no further than the elephant auricle .
With over 200 cultivars to choose from , elephant ear plant life boast magnanimous , heart - determine leaf , making them an eye - fascinate piece de resistance for any garden .
Illustris Elephant Ear
Elephant ears are the utter choice of verdure for backyards , peculiarly if you ’re extend for a tropical flavour .
They also work well when grown alongside ferns in aJapanese - inspire pane garden .
you could use elephant ears to aggrandise out your flower bed . But which elephant ear plant types should you take ? Here are 12 of our favorite cultivar for your landscaping .
Illustris Elephant Ear
‘ Black Magic ’ and ‘ Black Coral ’ cultivars produce stunning purple - inkiness foliage stark for striking landscape . ‘ Hilo Beauty ’ , ‘ Illustris ’ , and ‘ Lime Zinger ’ are three unripe varieties that work well in a sort of garden .
12 Beautiful elephant ear plants for your garden
Greenery add together colouration and texture to your outdoor blank and the elephant ear plant ’s large foliage is sure an middle - backstop .
Of naturally , not all elephant ear are created equal ! With so many different cultivar to choose from , it can be difficult narrowing down your pick .
as luck would have it , we ’ve done all of the severe employment for you !
Thailand Giant Elephant Ear
Check out these 12 gorgeous elephant ear varieties that will turn your backyard into a tropical haven .
Illustris
cryptic gullible leaves compensate in a black patina with vibrant green veins , the Illustris elephant ear is an annual variety that grows between 3 and 5 invertebrate foot magniloquent .
Hardy from zones 8 through 11 , Illustris produce quickly in full to fond sun . give the plants plenty of sunlight enhance their stunning coloring .
The Illustris cultivar is well - suit to landscape gardening , but thanks to its erect growth habit , it can be grown in large toilet , too .
Black Magic Elephant Ear
Thiselephant pinna is an excellent companionfor other container - friendly plants , likesweet potato vine , caladiums , and shadow Mexican petunia .
The Illustris elephant ear is as well-fixed to worry for as it is to look at . prey the flora anitrogen - copious constituent fertilizerevery 6 to 8 hebdomad , water them well , and watch them grow !
Hawaiian Punch
The Hawaiian Punch is just the elephant ear you want to transform your backyard into a tropical paradise . Use this handsome cultivar to dress up that newfangled in - ground pool .
Hawaiian Punch is a colorful variety that farm lovely greenish leaf with rhubarb - flushed stems . It ’s arrant if you want to add up a pop of coloration to your landscape .
This elephant ear is easy to grow , thriving from zones 7 through 11 . Plants uprise fast and quite tall , assess 2 to 4 feet at maturity .
Lime Zinger Elephant Ear
Keep your Hawaiian Punch elephant ears in full to fond sun . gift the plants 6 or more hour of sun helps them maintain their vivid coloring .
While this cultivar ca n’t survive the insensate wintertime of the northern climate , Hawaiian Punch can be grow as a perennial in warm surround , so you may enjoy this plant ’s beauty for years to come .
Thailand Giant
With blue - gray leaves that measure up to 5 fundament long by 4 feet wide in ideal condition , “ giant ” does n’t even begin to describe this elephant ear cultivar !
The Thailand Giant is unquestionably a statement plant , thoroughgoing for those boring corners of your backyard that are begging to be dress out up .
While most elephant ear plant types command moist , loamy ground , the Thailand Giant call for good drainage than most .
Giant Taro Elephant Ear
If your garden ’s dirt is on the sandy side , this cultivar is more likely to thrive in those conditions — as long as you amend your grime with somecompost or manure , first .
The Thailand Giant is sturdy from zone 8 through 11 .
In cooler growing zones , these elephant ears ca n’t survive the harsh freezes . But they have no trouble live balmy wintertime .
Grow your Thailand Giantalong your fenceline to dress it upand damp the noise from your neighbors . toad frog and toads just love the shelter the foliage render , so you ’ll be doing your part to stomach local wildlife , too !
Hilo Beauty
If you want your elephant ears to endure out from surrounding plants , choose Hilo Beauty .
This cultivar produce expectant center - shaped leaves that are bright kelly green and covered in pallid dark-green splodge , giving them a paint visual aspect .
The Hilo Beauty grows best in undimmed , indirect sunlight . It ’s an ideal choice for thosehard - to - landscape situation beneath tree diagram canopies .
This elephant capitulum is often grown as a houseplant , because of its stunning foliage and low - maintenance nature .
This is an elephant ear that take account moist dirt , as long as they are well - draining . If you notice your elephant pinna ’s leaves drooping , then you ’ve probably overwatered it .
Plants are hardy from zones 9 through 11 . Elephant auricle are loyal growers andare consider to be invading . Hilo Beauties can reach 4 feet tall by as many feet broad in idealistic consideration .
apply the Hilo Beauty to clip up bombastic mass and call forth flower beds , or to tote up a sprint of color around your koi pool .
Black Magic
Green elephant auricle eccentric are stunning , there ’s no two ways about it . But the Black Magic cultivar ’s black foliage will take your intimation away .
This elephant capitulum cultivar was the first to have purple - mordant leaf . Black Magic elephant ears are impossible to miss , and the perfect finish touch for your fishy backyard zen garden .
The Black Magic ’s dusty mat coming into court gives the works an aerial character . It tally decently in with timberland landscapes and fairy gardens , too .
Grow your Black Magic in loose , loamy soils that stay moist , and the industrial plant will speedily reach their maximum size of 6 feet magniloquent by as many base spacious .
This cultivar is also capable of pull through in sandy to clay - rich soils , though it will not grow as quickly .
Black Magic elephant ears are hardy from zones 7 through 11 . Plants are grow as annuals in cooler region and as perennial in warm geographical zone .
Lime Zinger
Lime Zinger look a lot like angelical potato vine but with an erect growth habit . These plants can grow much , much larger by comparison , spreading outward 3 foot and up 4 feet .
The plant ’s compact nature makes it just as well - suited tocontainer gardeningas it is to growing in the flower bed of your backyard garden .
As its name intimate , the Lime Zinger cultivar get lovely lime - green farewell , impart a blow of vivid color to drab , slow flush bed .
As with most other elephant ear varieties , Lime Zinger can endure mild winters but is an annual in frigid regions .
Plants are hardy from zones 8 through 10 .
Grow Lime Zinger in one prominent clustering to make a focal point , or use it to pad out your peak bed .
This cultivar twin attractively with bright open - face peak likelantana , salvia , and majestic coneflower .
Giant Taro
If you live in zones 9 through 11 , count planting the Giant Taro elephant ear eccentric in your garden .
This evergreen plant perennial adds yr - round color to southern garden and is a summery increase to garden in cool grow zones .
The Giant Taro ’s large size ( flora measure 6 ft tall by 4 feet wide at maturity ) means it ’s ripe to set it in your landscaping .
Each of the plant ’s leaves sprout from the kernel of the plant , growing direct up , like an arrow .
The Giant Taro ’s crinkled leaf is both dramatic and inviting , softening the edges of your garden with a molding of yellowed - green .
This cultivar fly high in fond sunlight , has intermediate water needs , and is adaptable to less - fertile grunge types , like sand and the Great Compromiser .
Bikini Tini
This plant life ’s declamatory , cupful - shape leaves collect rainwater and provide the arrant resting position for the butterflies , bees , and moths that visit your garden .
Add Bikini Tini to yourpollinator - friendly blossom beds , and you wo n’t be let down !
This elephant ear cultivar ’s bright light-green leaves really digest out thanks to its deep purpleness , almost sinister , stems .
The Bikini Tini elephant ear is a perennial , growing from zones 7 through 11 . Like other elephant capitulum , Bikini Tini is tender to the common cold . You ’ll need to cover the plants during Robert Frost to help the plants survive winter .
At its biggest , the Bikini Tini measures 7 feet tall by 3 ft wide . These plants are great for filling big expanses , providing the other plant life in your landscape gardening with an elegant backdrop .
Of course , you may also keep this cultivar in pots . Like other elephant ears , Bikini Tini iseasy to disperse from cuttings .
It ’s worth noting that the foliage of Bikini Tini ( and other elephant ear cultivar , for that subject ) can be toxic when ingest . So keep your elephant ears out of compass of children and pets .
Dragon Scale
Here ’s another interesting elephant ear case that ’s deserving see . Dragon Scale is one elephant capitulum that you have to see to believe .
This plant ’s huge , brocaded leaves are unlike any foliage you ’ve ever seen . rich gullible vein pop against the bright green mottling , adding strange contrast to the other leafage in your landscaping .
In the ground , this cultivar can reach 2 feet improbable with a spread of around 4 feet .
Their relatively compact growth habit hold them a popular choice of houseplant as well . The Dragon Scale ’s unparalleled appearance makes it a welcome addition to your indoor garden .
Keep your reptile - like Dragon Scale in moist yet well - draining ground . Be certain to feed the flora every 4 to 8 week using an organic fertilizer to keep their stunning leafage in tip - top shape .
The Dragon Scale is dauntless from zone 9 through 11 and thrives in brilliant , indirect sunlight .
Black Coral
You expect big leaves from a industrial plant that ’s called “ elephant spike ” . But Black Coral ’s leaves are larger than life sentence .
The Black Coral ’s purple leaves are so deep in colouring material that they read as black . And their colour is n’t the only interesting matter about them .
Plants acquire corrugated foliage with a glossy finish that makes them impossible to miss .
Black Coral bestow a brilliant demarcation to other elephant pinna cultivars , particularly smaller , gullible diversity , like Lime Zinger .
apply Black Coral to landscape aroundJapanese Red Maple tree . Or plant them jumbo urns to add peak to your flower bed .
Black Coral is hardy from zones 8 through 11 .
Plants grow quickest in loamy , damp , well - drain soil , where they maturate quickly . At maturity , plants can reach 5 feet tall by 4 foot spacious .
Nancy’s Revenge
We do n’t have sex who Nancy is , or what ticked her off . But if you ’re in love with green elephant spike , and you ’re wait for something with a little more “ oomph ” , Nancy ’s Revenge is just what you need .
Nancy ’s Revenge starts out an understated , unassuming gullible color .
But as the time of year progresses , the flora ’s leaves modernise a characteristic buttery yellowed streak along the nerve centre veining , eventually spreading into a Y shape .
Grow this cultivar in bright filtered light , or in the dawn sun and dappled afternoon shade .
These plants are monumental . Nancy ’s Revenge can grow up to 8 foundation tall with a spreading of 4 feet .
originate this elephant spike case as a fellow traveller fordaylilies , hostas , andferns . plant are hardy from zona 8 through 11 and should be protect from frosts over the winter .
Tiny Dancer
If you ’re a fan of all sorts of elephant ear type , check out the Tiny Dancer cultivar , it could n’t be cuter .
Adorably small , heart - form foliage beat out from the bakshis of foresightful , snake - like root word . The Tiny Dancer cultivar is sodding for adding height to low - grow flush bed and fits perfectly into tight corners .
Plant Tiny Dancer in full to fond sunlight and in loamy , moist , well - draining soil .
This plant thrives in warm environments and can be grown as a perennial in zones 9 through 11 .
This is a smaller cultivar . Mature flyspeck Dancer elephant ear only reach around 3 to 3 1/1 feet tall by 2 groundwork extensive .
plant life have a clumping maturation wont , like to irises and lily . They also grow well alongside these character of plants because they share the same grow requirements .
Tips for growing different elephant ear types in your landscaping
Elephant spike do n’t bring on showy flowers , but their foliage alone is enough to attract attending .
Choose dissimilar elephant ear cultivars of varying shapes , sizes , and color to add contrast to your backyard .
imbed a large variety , like Giant Taro , to create a backdrop for the other plants in your landscaping , or to block out your wooden privacy fence .
Mixing and matching elephant ear types is a howling ( and soft ) way to make your backyard more interesting !
