Elephant Ears in Storage

A friend called and asked what to do with his elephant ears. The bulbs were planted in a pot and were outside all summer. The advice is to bring them in "as is" pot and all for the winter. But he says they are way too huge to put in the regular living quarters.  I told him to leave them in the pot and put the whole thing down in the basement. They are after all just bulbs.  And I am actually a little jealous. I started elephant-ear bulbs one season and they were pathetic. I just threw them out at the end of the summer promising never again. But here is someone who actually devoted loving care to this plant; winterizing the first year.  The second-year growth has resulted in an attractive specimen just because he was willing to be patient.

When he started asking more questions like, do you cut off the foliage or let it die, I told him I really wasn't too sure. I ended up finding this website on winterizing elephant ears and it has simple ways to keep the ears until spring. Note: my elephant ears-grower-friend decided to dig the bulbs out of the pot, cut off the foliage and store for next summer to replant again.

This is a Florida-grown Elephant Ears plant.

Here is a recipe for elephant ears as well--the kind you can eat.