Place these plants in a sunny place in the garden for 6-8 hours. If you're in a hotter planting zone, provide afternoon shade from the hottest time of the day.

Provide consistent moisture to the planting bed or container. Add 2-3 inches of water each week in well draining soil.

The elephant ear enjoys and thrives in medium to high humidity.

Average comfortable room temperatures will be sufficient. Bring indoors when nights are under 60°F.

Plant the rhizomes and leave over the winter months if you're in zones 9-11. If you're using it as an annual in zones 3-8, then lift them in the fall and overwinter. Plant in early spring after the last frost has passed. See our zone planting chart for details.

Create a rich soil environment when planting initially. Add organic composted materials as well as manure mixed into the soil. Use a nitrogen-rich liquid fertilizer every two to three weeks. Mix with water and apply to the soil's surface around the plant. Continue to apply each month until six weeks before the first frost in the fall.

To keep the Elephant Ear Upright looking its best:

Prune any dead or damaged leaves to rejuvenate them.

Use sterilized pruners to trim back down to the base of the stem.

Use a hose with a shower nozzle to wash off the plant leaves each month if it is in a covered area where rain will not reach it.

Divide the tubers in the fall. Remove the soil from the root system.

Choose blemish free tubers and discard any rotten segments. Separate each tuber (a type of root system), ensuring there are eyes or buds evident on each division. This is where new foliage will emerge. Cutaway these new tubers from the parent plant's roots with a sterilized sharp knife.

When replanting, set the tuber pointy side facing upward. Cover with rich, well-draining soil (add amendments to heavy soil in the garden). Wait until the plant is producing new green leaves before starting to fertilize.