Tillandsias
Elephant Ears & Dormancy
The growing season is coming to an end. With the temperatures chilling be sure to protect your Alocasias and Colocasias. Most likely, you’ll want to bring them inside to a well-lit area that will stay above freezing. And, you will cut back on watering to prevent rot.
If you have good south-facing light and heat above 50, you can skip dormancy and continue to grow and enjoy your Taro-esque plants. But don’t freak-out if you don’t or can’t. Just allow them to go dormant. Cut back the failing leaves and stems, and, like I said, reduce the watering to a minimum and set them aside in a safe place/labeled so you don’t forget who they are.
Here at Raintree, most of our elephant ears are kept in the cooler greenhouse which heats at 40, and it is not enough to keep them growing. Instead they go slowly into dormancy and disappear into their pots. In December and January I like to divide them and replenish their soil in preparation for the new growing season. And it isn’t until June and July before they are looking good and full. Ok, later, we can talk more about division.
Kahili ginger in bloom today
Hedychium gardnerianum (Kahili ginger, Kahila garland-lily, or ginger lily) is a species of flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae, native to the Himalayas in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. It’s an herbaceous perennial, and can grow up to 8 ft tall with long, bright green leaves on tall stems. But the bloom, now THAT is worth the wait here at Raintree! Locating this plant on a sunny pathway will gift passers-by with a sweet scent reminiscent of ripe pineapple.