Some of my elephant ear stands alone ; some is planted in dense container groupings .
sure plant exude a content of “ Do n’t worry , be happy . ” Others continually screak , “ Maintain me ! ” In my garden , the easiest plants I grow are the tropical or semitropicals . They require virtually nothing , much like their brethren in my office . Once in a while , I ’ll trim back down a dead folio from one of the colocasia or alocasia , but other than that , given the same watering schedule as the rest of the garden , my tropical industrial plant ( mainly elephant spike , but some banana and others ) supply wow - agent from the time I plant them / convey them out of doors to the time I compost them / bring them indoors .
Given their recollective seasons ( all yr if they ’re happy indoors ) , I ’m amazed that more gardeners do n’t use these plants . During the GWA league a few days ago , reps from a Florida - based tropic plant nursery ( sorry , names are hightail it me ) told me their conference presentation would largely focus on using tropical as annuals if necessary , in order of magnitude to enjoy their long seasons of interest even if the agency to lay in them over the winter were not useable .
Some of my elephant ear stands alone; some is planted in dense container groupings.
I could n’t agree with this advice more . In the north , we hear a lot of talking about banana plants that will winter , but I ’ve never try it . I just drag the pot inside where it does all right until the next May , with minimum watering . I have a big elephant’s ear that I convey into the same room , where it continues growing , albeit more slowly . But I also compost a muckle of my tropicals at the remainder of the season . afford what they provide , the cost of replacement is reasonable . still , the question I am most demand about these during Garden Walk is “ Do you bring this in ? ” In fact , that ’s a question I get about many annuals , including flame nettle and strobilanthes ( Persian Shield ) . Do I cut off branches and root them over the winter . Uh , no . These plants are reasonably garish and I ’d rather just buy new ones in the springiness than fuss about with windowsill root . Is this uneconomical ? I hypothecate it is , though if the plants go into the compost , they ’re still contributing . But I ’m also supporting my local nurseries and the mail service social club firm I order from , many of which are modest , folk - run businesses . I feel ok about it .
What is this urge to save everything ? I venture gardeners just ca n’t bear to see a plant die or be cast away . I get that . But I ’ve determine to see every loss as an opportunity .
