Alocasia 'Borneo Giant' - Borneo Giant Elephant Ears

Nice shot.

Thank you so much, Delonix1! I really must try these...will have to rig up some winter lighting...guess I could get some pointers from Greenthumb, aye? I wanted a Gunnera but it would not survive our winters..so I bought Castor Bean and was very surprised at the size of the leaves...they were like umbrellas... now imagine a couple of those with one or two of these!
Maybe I'm dreaming!? lol.

Bernieh:

Thanks for the compliment!

Lori:

Castor bean plants are weeds here...I hate to say. They have naturalized in many parts of California. I see them along the sides of the road and freeways everyday. They do have pretty leaves and grow to about 20 feet / 6 meters tall.

I think it may be able to pull it off...the Alocasia in the ground would probably never get so large...as the tubers would have to be lifted during the Winter.

Gunnera species grow to be a monster of a plant. I've seen plants at Strybing Arboretum in San Francisco with leaves more 8 feet across and trunks about the same height. You need an extremely large space to grow these plants well, because of their spread.

Ah how I wish...I've seen pics of Gunnera in English gardens here on goY(in fact I think it was plant of the year at the Chelsea show last season or the one before)...It was growing right on the river bank in one famous garden...Huge and imposing..wonderful things. After seeing that pic I did some googling and was sad that I had to admit it was not possible here without a great deal of effort and coddling on my part...thought about Astilboides tabularis ...I've seen the plants on offer here...should I try it do you think? I know they become quite large too but they will acclimatize...which will limit their size...but I could still have my big beauty!?

Lori:

I'm not familiar with Astilboides tabularis. I've seen some photos on the internet. It looks like a very pretty substitute for Gunnera.

I think Alocasia, Colocasia, and Caladium are good in the garden for Spring and Summer. You can either move them into a greenhouse or lift, store the tubers and replant in Spring. They are worth the work if you like these types of plants.

Well perhaps this is ushering in a new regime ... I've usually tried to use plants who do not require special work... I might try those lovely sub-tropicals next garden...trouble is i've done all the landscaping here for such a garden... hmmm... BTW we are starting with rain here for the next five days at least...everything is looking wonderfully lush and green and my perennials are emerging and growing... would parcel up some rain for you if I could... I'm going to plant my callas, cannas, glads and dahlias as soon as I can dig again!

Lori:

Yes, we could use a good 5 days of rain...I don't think it's ever rained 5 days in a row here in San Diego (since I lived here -- 9 years). Everyday on the news...the main topic is the stage 2 drought status. I hate hearing about it! I've been having to water everyday because it's so warm. We're only suppose to water twice a week...well, it just doesn't work here.

Happy planting and enjoy all the rain.