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Distant Memory Elephant Ear - 20-Cell Plug Tray

$344.05
$344.05 $644.80
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Size : 20-Cell Plug Tray
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About the Product

Distant Memory is an elephant ear with huge, glossy, dark mahogany leaves shaded near black. It is shorter and fuller than Black Swan, forming a clump that sends up lots of new leaves and fills a pot quickly.

It grows about 4 to 4½ feet tall and 5 feet wide, making a rich, dark focal point in containers and beds. Deer and rabbits leave it alone. In cold climates, grow it as a summer tropical and bring the tuber in for winter.

What it looks like

Very large, heart-shaped leaves about 18 to 24 inches long are a glossy dark mahogany shading to near black, with smooth surfaces and slightly wavy edges. Dark stems hold the leaves out and down, and new leaves emerge steadily from the center. The plant forms a full, clumping mound 48 to 54 inches tall and 5 to 5½ feet wide. In midsummer it is a dense, dark mass of overlapping glossy leaves.

Growing it with lavender

Distant Memory needs moist, rich soil, unlike lavender, so grow it in a large container or a damp bed away from the dry lavender plantings.

Care

Plant in full sun to part shade in rich soil kept consistently moist, and fertilize regularly during summer. Hardy in zones 8 to 10; elsewhere plant out after nights are warm and store the tuber indoors over winter.

At a glance

  • Botanical name: Colocasia esculenta
  • Flower color: Insignificant
  • Foliage: Glossy dark mahogany to near black
  • Growth habit: Full, clumping mound
  • Mature size: 4 ft–54 in tall × 5 ft–66 in wide
  • USDA hardiness zones: 8–10
  • Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
  • Deer resistance: Resistant
  • Pollinator value: Low

Sizes and shipping

One full 20-cell plug tray: 20 large, field-ready plugs of this variety (cells about 2¾ in. wide × 3¼ in. deep or deeper), ready to plant out or pot up. Potted plants and plug trays ship during our live-plant seasons, March 1–May 31 and October 1–November 30; June through September is local pickup only. Plugs, potted plants and trays do not ship to AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, UT or WA.

Shipping note: Tropical tuber that is damaged by cold in transit; ships only after frost danger has passed, and needs warm soil to start growing.

View Product Details
Mature height
54.0 in
Mature spread
66.0 in
Fragrance
None
Deer
Resistant

Lavender companion · grow guide

How to grow Distant Memory

Elephant Ear · Colocasia esculenta

Elephant ears are tropical plants that want heat, constant moisture and rich soil. In Michigan (and anywhere colder than zone 8) treat them as summer plants: plant after frost, dig or bring indoors in fall.

Check my zone & planting dates
Distant Memory
  • Part sunLight
  • High waterWet tolerant drainage
  • pH 5.5–7.0Soil
  • Zones 8a–10bHardiness
  • 54″ tall66″ wide
  • ResistantDeer · rabbits resistant
  • Toxic to petsPets
Huckleberry, the farm dog

Huckleberry saysTell me where you grow and I’ll check if Distant Memory will thrive there.

Hardy in zones 8a–10b

After all frost danger, once soil and nights are warm, usually late May to early June in Michigan.

When it arrives

Your plug tray

Pot 20-cell plugs into 6-inch pots of rich mix and keep warm (above 60°F) and moist until frost has passed, then plant out. Cold nights stall growth.

When to plant

After all frost danger, once soil and nights are warm, usually late May to early June in Michigan.

How deep

Plant at the same depth the plug grew in its cell, with the top of the root ball just under the soil surface.

Spacing

3–4 feet apart for C. esculenta types; 4–6 feet for giant C. gigantea.

Soil

Fertile, organically rich loam · pH 5.5–7.0

Fix-it tip: Mix in lots of compost. They thrive at pond edges or in boggy spots; never let the soil dry out.

Sun

Part sun (tolerates full sun with constant moisture; part shade).

Dark-leaved types color best with some sun. Protect from strong wind, which shreds the big leaves.

Dormant
New growth

Don’t give up on it

Is it alive? What spring looks like

Plants grow from tubers and won't push leaves until soil is warm. Overwintered tubers can take several weeks to sprout; start them indoors in April for a head start.

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