Blooming elephant ear brings surprise

A yellowish-orange bloom stands erect in the center of an elephant ear plant at Joyce Campbell's home. [Click to enlarge]

The elephant ear - a plant grown for its large heart-shaped leaves - produced a yellowish-orange bloom at the end of September and appeared to have another bloom developing.

The blossom, she said, bore a similar shape to a peace lily bloom and lasted for only a couple of days.

Campbell said she purchased the elephant ear bulb for $5 at Fred's last spring. "I didn't even know which end to plant," she said, admitting that she couldn't tell the rooting end from the stem-producing end. She plopped the bulb in a pot last spring, watered it all summer and was surprised to find the bloom this fall.

Campbell said she used to grow elephant ears all of the time and has never seen one bloom.

Joyce Spindler, a certified Master Gardener and member of the Dyer County Association of Tennessee Master Gardeners, said she's seen elephant ears bloom - but not often. "They have a spadex like a peace lily, but larger. All I have ever seen are creamy white or pale yellow."

Elephant ears are part of the caladium family. Caladiums also are grown for their foliage of green, red, white and yellow. They are typically tropical plants and may need some help surviving winters in Dyersburg. People often dig up the bulbs and take them inside for the season. Or, try covering the planted bulbs with a few inches of leaf mulch for the winter.

During the growing season, elephant ears prefer plenty of water. The plants are heavy feeders and need plenty of nitrogen.

Although they grow well in the shade, Spindler said she suspects that elephant ears are more likely to bloom better if they get some sun.