Thanks your responses and comments - `very helpful. We planted our elephant ears three years ago in the back yard. Every winter we take them in and I think we wrap the roots and put them in a dark place. We replant them every spring. I was hoping I could bring them in for the winter and continue enjoying them, but I am not convinced from reading here that we have enough sun, so I might have to find a grow light and I"m not sure I can keep up with the water demand. I miss these beautiful leaves all winter!!

Broomhildah, they are "root hardy" here in Birmingham. I always cut them down, fill a large black, plastic flower pot with chopped leaves and cap it upside down over the stumps for protection. Here it always comes back. I remove the pot of leaves around April 1. If frost threatens, I cover it with a flower pot. Next year, when frost time comes, just break off a few of the side shoots that come off the old trunk and plant them for plants to share with friends. If you plant your large one now, it will have time to become established before winter. Now, about the top. Cut it off near the ground after planting. The stump will put out new plants all around itself. Cut remaining stump to an appropriate length and stick it down into a large pot, maybe a 5 gallon bucket with drain holes. Place it in the shade. You will never know by looking that it was ever removed from the mother plant. It will root and you have another plant. If you have leftover stump pieces, I would stick them in a pot of soil and I believe they may root as well. Feel free to email me if you have more questions.

;-) ok. shoot me an email with your address. and let me know when its safe to ship. I think Kylie is too busy over on the world of brugmansia website to pay attention to us here ;-)

Susan, I got my ZZ Plant a few years ago when WalMart put them on sale half price for $5. It's doubled in size since then. That was a great bargain. :) Robin, It's still a little early in the year for most places to have the "cool" elephant ears. They start carrying them when it really warms up in spring, about May. I did see Lowes has some packaged bulbs of C. 'Black Magic' and C. 'Illustris' (Imperial taro). I didn't buy any though, so I don't know how large the bulbs were. They are both really pretty elephant ears and reproduce rapidly. I've actually traded for the vast majority of my elephant ear collection. If you can find some really cool ones, you can often trade your pups for 2 or 3 pups of varieties you don't have. Pups grow fast and most elephant ears reproduce pretty rapidly. I've bought mine on eBay, at Lowes and Home Depot, WalMart, local nurseries, and from several different online stores. Don't be afraid to buy elephant ears online, just check their feedback at Garden Watchdog to be sure it's a reliable seller. Once you get a few of the cooler varieties, you'll be able to trade for just about whatever you want.