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| ELEPHANT-EAR PLANTS YELLOW SPATHE IS UNIQUE | |
| Published: October 04, 1997 | |
Bloom would be beautiful in flower arrangementsQ:You mentioned once in your column that you had heard about yellow blooms on elephant-ear plants, but you had never actually seen one. You are welcome to see the two getting ready to open in my yard.A:And I did see them, and was very glad that I could. The elephant ears are Colocasia esculenta, the common type which have naturalized across the Deep South. Starting in August and through fall, they sometimes produce golden-yellow spathes, similar in shape to the peace lilys flower, but 12 to 15 inches long. When I saw them, each spathe was tightly wrapped into a long, narrow, golden bundle. I am looking forward to going back to see them open.If you recall, we had a call from Dena Frost a year ago when her plants bloomed. Her account drew a response from Dr. Jan Wolf who has traveled widely and is familiar with the process of making a dish called poi from the edible roots of this member of the elephant-ear family. Pacific Islanders shave or grate the large, brown, bulblike corm, and mix the material with spices and oil. The mixture is combined with fish or meat and baked to produce a dish somewhat like a meat pie. The tubers, which are often available in stores that sell Vietnamese foods, may be planted to produce a plentiful supply of elephant-ear plants. The fading of the bloom and the wilting of the leaf, according to Dr. Wolf, is a signal that the tuber is ready for harvest. I bet Ive killed more gerbera daisies that you haveQ:From a phone call: Please write about how to grow gerbera daisies.A:I try to follow the advice of my gardening friends, and I faithfully study the recommendations in plant publications but my gerbera daisies always die premature deaths.From what successful growers tell me, the key is to plant in raised beds or in baskets in very well-drained soil which has been amended with sand and organic material such as peat, pine bark mulch or compost. Apparently, gerberas, or Transvall daisies as they are also called, like lots of water, but prefer to dry out between waterings. Morning sun with protection from afternoon sun is often recommended, but other gardeners have no problem with full sun. My mother always told me to be sure to plant gerberas with the crowns above the soil. A friend claims that growing gerberas from seed rather than from transplants produces less temperamental plants. As I write this it occurs to me that I may be mulching them too much, covering the crown and preventing the plants from drying out. Good luck! |