| Aroids
(Elephant Ears) - Alocasia,
Colocasia, Xanthosoma
Members of the Aroid family,most of these
usually have large leaves and often do best with lots of water. |
| Alocasias
have a different look from what I think of as the traditional elephant
ears. Instead of floppy, downward drooping leaves, these usually have
firm, erect, upward pointing leaves. |
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Alocasia
macrorhizos 'Blackstem'(Redstem Elephant Ear)
Sun to light shade. Hardy to zone 7. Up to 60" tall.
Blackstem
has the strong stem and upright leaves of A.macrorhizos but the stems
are close to black in color, maybe with just a little red. Mine sends
up lots of "pups" forming a clump that stands out in the garden.
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Alocasia
macrorhizos 'Lutea'(Goldenstem Elephant Ear)
Sun to light shade. Hardy to zone 7. Up to 72" tall.
I've
got lots of favorites but this one may be my real favorite! It has these
huge leaves on large, bright yellow stems.
The yellow color extends up into the veins of the leaves and contrast
beautifully.. When the sun shines through the leave they just light up!
Mine grows vigorously with heavy feeding and watering and gets to be 6
feet tall by the end of June. |
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Alocasia
odora (Giant
Upright Elephant Ear)
Sun to light shade. Hardy to zone 7. Up to 72" tall.
This plant is quite different from the typical elephant ears. The thick
leaves are held upright on rigid stems. This is a dramatic plant with
huge, sligtly heart shaped leaves. They make great umbrellas! I believe
this was the second largest elephant ear in my garden last year. The
next plant below was easily the largest.
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Alocasia
portdora (Hybrid Upright Elephant Ear)
Sun to light shade. Haryd to zone 7. Up to 96" tall.
This hybrid is a cross between A.odora and A.portei. The thick, heavily
scalloped leaves are held stifly upright on thick, powerful stems. A rich,
organic soil and lots of water will reward you with an incredible plant
that will be huge! I've listed it as 8 feet above but I'm pretty sure
mine was taller than that last summer. (We had lots of rain). |
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Alocasia
plumbea (Metallic Elephant Ear)
Sun
to light shade. Hardy to zone 7, this forms a clump up to 48" tall.
Dark reddish
purple stalks with dark green leaves. The best part is the back of the
leaves - a purple. metallic look that has to be seen to be believed.
The stems are dark purple which is another nice touch. I try not to
say it too often but this could be one of my favorites!
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Alocasia
wentii
Sun
to light shade. Hardy
to zone 7. Up to 36" tall.
The
leaves on this one have beautiful, green
veins that really show up from the back. Thick, dark green leaves
with backs that have the metallic look of A.plumbea.
It doesn't get as large as some of the others but spreads out very
wide and has a different look that I really like. |
| Colocasias
usually have giant, floppy leaves that have that "elephant ear"
look. Great name! These are many different patterns and colors of leaves
and stems. Some get huge, while others stay fairly small. |
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Colocasia
'Hilo Beauty' (Hilo Beauty Elephant Ear)
Sun to light shade. Hardy to zone 7, this forms
a clump up to 36" tall.
12" leaves that are irregularly spotted with splotches of white.
A fast grower that always catches the attention of visitor's to our
garden. If you like variegated you'll love this one! |
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Colocasia
esculenta "Nancy's Revenge"
Sun
to light shade. Hardy to zone 7. Up to 48 " tall.
This
starts out as your basic elephant ear (C.esculenta) but as the plant
grows and the leaves get large the beautiful patch of gold begins to
form in the middle of the leaves. It follows the main vein and spreads
out from there. This is one hot plant! With plenty of water this one
grows fast and puts up lots of "babies" all around it. |
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Colocasia
antiquorum 'Illustris' (Imperial Taro)
Part sun to light shade. Hardy to zone 7, grows to about
36" tall.
Black
leaves with green veins - this is a stunning plant. This plant always
gets lots of attention in my gardern, nothing else quite like it! It
spreads and multiplies if given plenty of water, sending up lots of
little plants all around. This is one of the most popular elephant ears
I grow. |
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Colocasia
'Black Magic'(Black Leaf Elephant Ear)
Sun to light shade. Hardy to
zone 7. Up to 72" tall.
This one has large (up to 24") leaves and forms
a nice, full clump, 5 to 6 feet
tall. Leaves are a dark, purplish black. Give it lots of water and it
will form a big clump with lots of beautiful leaves. Another favorite
of mine! |
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Colocasia
'Black Runner'(Black Leaf Elephant Ear)
Sun
to light shade. Hardy to zone 7. Up to 72"
tall.
This
looks just like the one above but sends out "runners" that root
and form new plants. In just one season you will have lots of baby
plants to transplant. |
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Colocasia
gigantea
Sun to light shade. Hardy to zone7. Up to 72" tall.
There's something different about this
one. The stems have a frosty, pastel
look. The huge leaves have rippled edges and it growing into a tall
clump. Another favorite of mine, those
stems are just unreal looking. |
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Colocasia
fallax
Sun to light shade. Hardy to zone7. Up to 24" tall.
This is probably the smallest elephant
ear I grow. It only gets a couple of feet tall but forms a nice clump
with lots of leaves. The silver colored center of the leaves really make
this one stand out despite it's size. |
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Xantosomas have a different look from either the Alocasias
or Colocasias. The huge, firm leaves are held horizontally, making a
great umbrella. |
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Xanthosoma
'Blue Giant'
Sun
to part sun. Hardy to zone 7.Up to 96" tall.
Butterfly like, white flowers from late summer until
frost. This ginger has a honeysuckle like fragrance that fills the garden.
A consistent bloomer that has survived temperatures down to near zero
here in Alabama. |
Phyllostachys
- Giant, Cold Hardy Bamboo
Bamboo,
the giant grass! This is one of the fastest growing plants in the world.
You can almost see the new shoots as they grow. |
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Phyllostachys
h.pubescens - Giant Moso Bamboo
Sun
to part sun. Hardy to zone 7. Up to 7 inches in diameter and 75 feet
tall. .
This is the largest of the cold hardy bamboos. The culms
(canes)
look like small utility poles!. The small picture links
to a picture of new Moso shoots and a mature grove of Moso. The grove
has many culms that are 6" in diameter and over 70 feet tall. |
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P.vivax
- Vivax Bamboo
Sun
to part sun. Hardy to zone 6. Canes 6" in diameter by 70+ feet
tall.
This
is the second largest of the cold hardy bamboos. The giant canes often
have no limbs for the first 20 to 30 feet. Very straight and tall, this
is a magestic bamboo. My grove has several canes over 4 inches in diameter
and 60+ feet tall. I love walking through a grove of this giant bamboo. |
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P.v.aureocaulis
- Greenstripe Vivax
Sun
to part sun. Hardy
to zone 6. Canes 6" in diameter by 70+ feet tall.
This is the
same as P.vivax above but has buttery, yellow culms with green stripes.
It should get as large but my grove only has a few 3 inch culms so far.
(It's only about 5 years old). Just beautiful. |
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P.v.Robert
Young - Robert Young Bamboo
Sun
to part sun. Hardy to zone 7. Canes 4"+ in diameter and 45 feet
tall.
With
beautiful yellow culms that have ocassional green stripes this is one
of my favorites. I have a very large grove of this with many canes over
4 inches in diameter. Lining the driveway, it's like driving through
a tropical forest. |
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P.nigra
'Henon' - Giant Gray Henon Bamboo
Sun
to part sun. Hardy to zone 7. Up to 4 1/2" in diameter and 65 feet
tall.
With beautiful
bluish-gray culms this is a spectacular bamboo. Giant Gray Henon lives
up to it's name.A grove of this bamboo has a unique, ghostly look. It
can easily be identified from a distance. |
Hardy
Gingers - Hedychium and Curcuma
We love gingers! The ones I have are all hardy
to zone 7 and most have a wonderful fragrance. They seem to flower from
mid-summer until frost. These are some of the most tropical looking
plants we grow. The Curcumas don't have much of a flower or smell but
the leaves are just beautiful.
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Hedychium
coronarium (Hardy Butterfly Ginger)
Sun
to part sun. Hardy to zone 7.Up to 60" tall.
Butterfly like, white flowers from late summer until frost.
This ginger has a honeysuckle like fragrance that fills the garden. A
consistent bloomer that has survived temperatures down to near zero here
in Alabama. |
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Hedychium
'Gold Flame' (Hardy Ginger Lily)
Sun to part sun. Hardy to zone 7. Up to 72" tall.
These 6' stalks are topped with white flowers with peachy,
gold throats. Blooms from late summer until frost. The wonderful fragrance
fills the air in my garden. I often smell it when I first step outside.
Once it begins flowering it seems to always be covered with blooms.
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Hedychium
Dr.Moy'
Sun to light
shade. Hardy to zone 7. Up to 72" tall.
Dark
green leaves with white speckles. The flowers of this one also have
a wonderful scent. I like that in gingers!
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Curcuma
zeodora
Sun
to light shade. Hardy to zone 7.Up to 60" tall.
The foliage is what makes this plant. The broad leaves
have a dark maroon midrib. The cone shaped flowers are nested down in
the plant, near the ground. |
Cannas
Cannas
have it all - beautiful foilage and beautiful flowers. Some have variegated
leaves or multi-colored flowers while others have leaves with a range
of colors. These all get at least 5 to 6 feet tall and one gets to over
8 feet. |
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Canna
'Bengal Tiger' (Variegated Canna - Orange flowered)
Sun. Hardy to zone 7. Up to 72"tall.
This is a beautiful canna with excellent green and yellow varigation.
The leaves are edged with a maroon stripe. Flowers all summer with bright
orange blooms. This can also be grown in the water for bogs and ponds. |
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Canna
'Phaison' (Tropicanna)
Sun.
Hardy to zone 7. Up to 80" tall.
What
a beautiful plant! Leaves are a stunning mix of red, yellow, orange, and
purple stripes. Topped with brillant orange flowers during the summer
this is a beautiful canna! |
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Canna
'Minerva' (Variegated
Canna - Yellow flowered)
Sun.
Hardy to zone 7. Up to 60"tall.
Leaves
are green with white variagated stripes. Topped with yellow flowers
all summer. Not as heavily variegated at Bengal Tiger but has a unique
look all it's own.
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Canna
'Stuttgart'
Light shade. Hardy to zone 7. Up to 96" tall.
This is just an incredible plant! Heavy
white varigation makes this a plant that always brings people to a stop.
This does best in light or even medium shade as the white parts of the
leaves tend to burn in the sun. The flower is insignificant on this species. |
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Canna
- Banana Canna
Sun to light shade. Hardy to zone 7. Up to 96" tall.
This canna doesn't have much of a flower
but I love the size. Mine always gets to over 8 feet. With giant leaves
(and giant size) it's easy to mistake it for a banana tree. |
Carnivorous
Plants
These plants are mostly native to the southeastern
United States and grow in very unique conditions. They need an nutrient
poor, acidic bog. I have an artificial bog with a soil mix of peatmoss
and sand. They should NOT be fertilized and it is best to water with
rain water or distilled water. It's not the chlorine, but the minerals
in tap water that they don't like. A
field covered with these plants is a special sight. |
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Sarracenia
alata
The yellow
pitcher plant. Yellowish green pitchers.
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Sarracenia
purpurea
With
large,recumbent pitchers that are usually a beautiful purple color this
is one of my favorites.
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Sarracenia
'Dixie Lace'
The
pitchers have a network of red veins that look more like blood veins than
lace. |
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Sarracenia
'Wrigleyana'
Dark maroon
with white spots on the pitchers it's a beautiful plant. |
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Sarracenia
leucophylla
Tall pitchers with beautiful white tops it stands
out in a field of plants. |
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Venus
Flytrap
This classic of the carnivorous plant world needs
no introduction. No matter how many times you see it, the traps always
fascinate. Flys (and other bugs) don't stand a chance when the traps spring
shut. |
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Sundew
The tiny hairs on this plant all have a drop of sticky "dew"
on their ends. These trap small bugs like mosquitos and gnats. |
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Rose
Pogonia - Bog Orchid
This little orchid grows in the bog along with
the carnivorous plants. It likes the same, nutrient poor, acidic bog conditions. |
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Polygala
lutea
These pretty orange flowers add a nice touch to the bog also. |
Brugmansias - Angel Trumpets
Now we're back to big plants! These things can turn into trees
in one growing season. Here in zone 7 mine easily reach 10 feet, loaded
with giant flowers. |
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Brugmansia
"Sunset"
The leaves are beautifully variegated around
the edges and it still has great flowers
with a marvelous scent. These plants can get over 10 feet tall here in
zone 7, even larger in a warmer climate. This is hardy here in zone 7. |
Our
Rooftop Gardens
We live in an underground home with a couple feet of dirt on
the roof. We grow many of our Big Plants here as the soil is great and
it gets more sun than most any other place on our property. Best of
all we get to smell the gingers and Angel Trumpets when they are in
flower. Here are a few pictures from the roof, most were taken using
a camera with a timer tied to the end of a long bamboo pole! |
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This
picture shows many of the banana trees growing over to the side of the
roof. The rock area is near the center of the roof. |
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This
is the middle of the roof looking east. That's Canna 'Bengal Tiger' on
the left, banana trees in the background, and the variegated Angel's Trumpet
on the right. |
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More
roof top plants. You can see several elephant ears at the back and that's
the opening above the atrium on the left. |
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This
is looking down into the atrium (sunken courtyard). We grow elephant ears
there also. That's a Black sweet potato vine on the small roof area. |
