Elephant Ears in November at The Tropical Paradise

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It's the last day of November, and it has been very warm this year, so I am not seeing any damage to the Elephant Ears. But it will come with colder temperatures. The good news is that they won't die, they will just get all ugly and mushy and be a real pain to trim back. But a labor of love to see this for so many months of the year!

I have left this area, which is just to the right of Macintosh's doggy door, get as dense as it wants to be. In cold weather, the more huddled up your plants are, the better. They benefit from the warmth of each other. The most cold-sensitive are the Elephant Ears, and then the cannas. They will show cold damage, but luckily, they can be cut back severely and come back strong. What I really want to protect this winter is the little cycad, a dioon spinulosum, underneath it. The leaves on a cycad do not grow back quickly, so I'm hoping that its companion plants will keep the damage to a minimum this year, or not at all. That would be nice.

Actually, now that I think about it, the coleus, which is just to the right of the big Elephant Ear leaf at left, will die from cold weather no matter what. But there are still a few weeks left to enjoy it!

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