Elephant Ears in the desert garden

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It's July 26th and the Elephant Ears are coming back strong. I have to admit that I was worried for a while, as the January frost knocked them completely to the ground, and I didn't see even a bit of growth for a couple of months.

But they are coming back! The leaves get about twice as big as this normally, so I am hoping for more rain, which this area gets consistently in July and August. These are thunderstorms, which a local DJ jokingly referred to many years ago as "monsoons", and the term is now used in all sincerity by people who, I guess, have never seen a real monsoon.

Just to the left of the tip you can see one of the mister heads, because these plants love moisture. And since we don't really get "monsoons", but only occasional short bursts of rain, I keep the misting system on. It mists every six hours for 15 minutes.

This year I put in some stepping stones and will be thinning out the elephant ears. In the past I just let them grow, but I'm thinking that thinning out the smaller ones will help the bigger ones grow. I am glad to see these beauties returning, and they look especially nice after a rain!

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