Tulsa World: Store your elephant ears indoors? Depends.

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Store your elephant ears indoors? Depends.

Should you dig up your elephant ears for the winter? Courtesy

By BRIAN JERVIS Ask a Master Gardener
Published: 11/28/2009 2:20 AM
Last Modified: 11/28/2009 8:36 AM

It was suggested to me that I dig up my elephant ear and canna bulbs for winter storage. Is this needed? Chris W. — Tulsa

For our region, this is a difficult question to answer. Some authorities suggest digging and storing them all, because our winters are too cold. However, there is a conflict between theory and practical gardening experience. Many perennial beds of cannas and elephant ears in Tulsa are several years old.

The world's largest grower of cannas, Horn Canna Farm, is located in Carnegie, southwest of Oklahoma City. The canna experts at Horn suggest most cannas may be safely left in the ground for winter in cold hardiness zone 7 and perhaps zone 6 if the winter is a mild one.

Elephant ear tolerance of cold is more complex. There are several genera of plants that go by the common name "elephant ear." They all have similar structure, but their reported tolerances for cold are widely different. Some are very intolerant of cold and must be stored indoors. However, many of the commonly sold elephant ear bulbs in the genus Colocasia are rated to hardiness zone 7. They usually survive winters with protection.

Hardiness zones refer to the average lowest annual temperature of an area. Tulsa is officially in zone 6b (average low of zero to negative 5 degrees), but for the past 20 years the low temperatures have been more in keeping with zone 7a (zero to 5 degrees or warmer). This may be the explanation for the high winter survival of both these plants.

If you have a prized plant and wish to be sure of survival, by all means dig the tuber and store it until spring. However, if you decide to leave tubers in the ground over winter, be aware that both types are more likely to survive the cold if they are on the south side of a structure and wind protected. They must also be heavily mulched and have greater survival if the soil is well drained and on the dry side.

The Tulsa Master Gardeners are trained volunteers who help provide information and support to home gardeners and the community. For more, go to tulsaworld.com/mastergardener. If you have a garden-related question you would like the Master Gardeners to answer in a future column, call 746-3701 or e-mail Kim Brown at kim.brown@tulsaworld.com.

By BRIAN JERVIS Ask a Master Gardener

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Elusive, Owasso (11/28/2009 4:21:33 AM)

I have left all my cannas and elephant ears in the ground every year without any problem. They just keep multiplying year after year.

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