If you’ve ever stared at a shady corner in your garden and wondered what on earth will grow there, you’re not alone. Most plants just won’t cope without some sun, but elephant ears are one of the rare exceptions.
Plenty of Australian gardeners swear by them, and the results speak for themselves.
Why elephant ears are the top choice for shady gardens
Take Shane Kingsbury, landscape architect and co-director of Sydney-based Inspired Exteriors, which he runs with horticulturist Charlie Albone. When he needed to fill a tricky spot under a big jacaranda tree at home, he went straight for elephant ears.
“Elephant ears became my solution for that shadier zone,” he says. “I grow them in a raised corten steel ring container, which helps with the drainage on our very heavy clay soil and also adds scale and texture to the part of the garden that most people struggle to fill.”
Now, three years on, they’re sitting at roughly two metres tall and 1.2 metres wide.
Perth homeowner Jordyn from the Beachside Build Instagram page had a similar goal. “We decided on elephant ears because of their large foliage that brings a lush tropical feel to our outdoor area.”
Her Alocasia variety, which she bought from Bunnings at around 60cm tall, now stands over two metres.
“What surprised us is that the elephant ears flower every year (a sign that the plants are happy and healthy) and how tall they can actually grow.”
What is an elephant ear plant?
“Elephant ear” refers to three closely related groups: Alocasia, Colocasia, and Xanthosoma.
The simplest way to tell the main types apart is by looking at the leaves. Alocasia leaves stand upright on sturdy stems, while Colocasia leaves tend to droop down.
If you want something for pots or indoors, Alocasia is your best bet. The bigger Alocasia and Colocasia types are perfect for warm garden beds. Some stay compact at around 60cm to a metre, but the larger ones can easily reach up to two metres.
Just a heads up: every part of the plant is mildly toxic, so it’s best to keep them out of reach of kids and pets.
How to grow elephant ears: cheat sheet
| Best position | Part shade or dappled light, away from strong winds |
| Soil | Rich, moist and well-draining |
| Watering | Frequent in summer; back off significantly in winter; never let them sit waterlogged |
| Feeding | Fortnightly with a soluble fertiliser through spring and summer |
| Size | 60cm–1m (compact); 1.5–2m+ (larger varieties) |
| Watch out for | Afternoon sun (scorches leaves), wind near the coast (tears leaves), waterlogged soil (root rot |
| Toxicity | Mildly toxic to people, cats and dogs — keep out of reach |
Position
Where you plant them matters most. Jordyn, who lives just a kilometre from the beach in Perth, found out the hard way that wind can be a real problem.
“If we were to do it again, we would probably plant the elephant ears a bit further away from our colourbond fence to prevent them from banging in high winds.”
Her advice: “Make sure you’re placing them in an ideal location out of direct winds if coastal, and not in a spot that gets the afternoon sun (Perth summer days can be brutal).”
Soil
When it came to soil, Jordyn didn’t have an easy start.
“Our soil is straight sand. When we planted the elephant ears, we dug large enough holes to be able to fill them with a premium soil mix.”
Shane had the opposite issue – heavy Sydney clay. He solved it by using raised containers.
“The clay soil is actually an advantage in some ways because it holds moisture well. Just make sure your drainage is sorted, or you’ll undo all that good work very quickly.”
Watering
Jordyn’s approach shifts with the seasons. “In the warmer months, we set our retic to water them 3x a day for 3 minutes. In the colder months, we water them twice a week (if we’ve not had any rain).”
Feeding
“We feed the elephant ears with Yates All Purpose Soluble Fertiliser,” says Jordyn. “You can’t go wrong with feeding them fortnightly and monitoring the watering schedule.”
Ongoing care
The good news is, once your elephant ears are settled in, they really don’t ask for much.
“Day to day, the plants are actually pretty low maintenance,” says Jordyn. “Once the leaves start turning yellow/wilting or ripping, we will cut them off to make room for new growth.”
Shane did run into one early hiccup. His plant started leaning hard toward the light and got a bit wobbly.
“I ended up anchoring the trunk back with a soft rope while the root system caught up. Once it had established properly and could hold itself, I untied it and haven’t touched it since.”
But both Shane and Jordyn agree: the payoff is worth it. As Shane puts it, “They’re the perfect fit for a tricky spot.”
