8 May 1, 2014 2014 SPRING HOME AND GARDEN “OUT OF THE ORDINARY” LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.COM
However, if you want to put
pizazz in the garden early in
the year, start the tubers in
containers in a warm area.
Setting a tuber in late March
should bring you to a young
plant by mid-April. Allowing
the plant to grow in the
container for a couple of weeks,
or more if you have growing
room, will allow the gardener
to get instant gratification from
the elephant ear when planted in
the garden in late April or early
May.
When you take the plant to
the garden, set it in a sunny to
partially shaded area and allow
3 to 5 feet around it for growth
throughout the summer.
When fall comes, dig up the
tuber. In many cases you will
find that there are now multiples
where there was once only
one. Tubers can be separated,
allowing for more plants next
year, or plants to give to family
or friends.
Elephant ears also come in
colors. The typical plant is a
rich green, but there are also
varieties such as Black Magic,
with a deep purple
hue. Mixing the two
will bring great drama
to your landscape and
also provide a more
appealing backdrop for
planting of low-growing
blooming plants in front
of them. There are also
other colors available,
such as variegated pinks
and reds and a stunning
variety called Mojito,
which is a variegated
bright and dark green
with a rich blue-purple.
Finally, not all giants are
green. Many enjoy seeing a
flowering plant that will stand
up and smack them in the face
with their color, interest and
uniqueness. If that is what
you’re looking for in your
garden, then consider the Datura
and Brugmansia.
Commonly known as angel’s
trumpets, these two plants
produce similar flowers but
grow in different ways.
The Datura angel’s trumpet is
a lower growing, bush-type
plant that will produce large,
trumpet-shaped flowers. These
plants grow 3 to 5 feet wide
and equally as tall, making an
excellent backdrop for ground-
loving plants.
The Brugmansia is a more
dramatic plant that grows in a
treelike formation, gathering
height and foliage at the top
and showing wood stem below.
What is most appealing, though,
is the hundreds of trumpets that
bloom out of the foliage, turning
their heads downward to the
point where they more resemble
large bells than trumpets.
Datura angel trumpet
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