Both of the above posters are correct. In addition to those approaches, you could pot them up and bring them indoors as a winter houseplant. Winter hardiness varies from one Elephant Ear variety to the next, which means some will overwinter outside. If I were you, I would do this: pot up a couple of the bulbs and bring them inside as houseplants for the winter, just for insurance. Then, put a heavy mulch over the others that you leave in the ground. There is a good chance that they'll return in the spring. If so, you won't need to worry about them in the future.

Hannah, Yellowing between the veins of older leaves generally indicates a lack of a transportable nutrient, such as Magnesium. What is the analysis of the Plantacote? It could be that it is too slow releasing for the needs of the A. x calidora. These plants are very vigorous and that means they need enough nutrients to sustain that growth. Otherwise, they will decline and die down or out. I give my host of Alocasia hybrids a soluble fert solution every week and I use a higher nitrogen mix as well, occasionally supplementing with extra iron and manganese. Even under these conditions, some of mine get a little pale from time to time, especially in the summertime growing months. Many, if not most, of these Alocasia like well draining soil mix as well, so if your soil is heavy and wet, that might be part of the problem. Healthy roots are a must for proper nutrient uptake. Hope this helps, LariAnn Garner Aroidia Research Here is a link that might be useful: Alocasia x calidora

Fine Gardening is a fine magazine. They have a great web site, too. There's an interesting interview with Ryan Gainey, Atlanta garden designer who started out as a Cottage Gardener. He talks about formal design in the garden: FG: Although your garden has an informal air, it has many formal elements. RG: Everything in the world has to be formed for it to be free. Many people think that they can go out and put a bunch of flowers in the yard and it becomes a cottage garden. Well, thatÂs just a mess. ThereÂs no form; thereÂs no definition. Personally, I liked Mr. Gainey's garden in the old days better than now. Nell

Hi Missg, welcome to GardenWeb! I think your plants will grow back just fine, as long as they get the chance. You probably have Colocasia esculenta. Shouldn't be harmful to dogs, but tearing up your plants is obviously something you want to stop. It is frustrating when your dog has gardening ideas that are in conflict with yours. Our great Dane doesn't seem to munch on plants but I do have to do a lot of weird-looking things to make sure he doesn't take a nap where seeds are sprouting, or walk around in beds in general. Have you had a puppy before? What kind do you have? I don't know why one would tear or eat this plant in particular, but in general, they can't be left to their own devices unsupervised. Putting a little fence around the base of your EE's might help while puppy is learning. As you add new plants to your yard, I would use the same type of fence, so your dog gets to know the fence and its' contents means no, off limits. There is a pets forum if you'd like to read about or ask for some training ideas. For the particular thing about chewing/tearing up plants, it sounds like Ken might have more to share about his experiences. IME, just paying close attention and clapping loudly while saying "NO!" as loudly as necessary to be heard when you see unacceptable behavior works well, maybe a little squirt with the hose. Like when you see your pup start to touch the plant or fence. Then notice and praise good behaviors even more. Dogs that aren't taught anything have the most problems, and may not even recognize that you are in charge. Teaching them the same lesson every day for at least a week is usually enough for it to stick. When they know that you definitely are, what you want, they are much more secure and comfortable. A regular routine is good for dogs too.