That rather looks like a cross between Rodgersia and Astilboides! Whatever it is, I want it!! :-)

hey rouge.. long time..no time..

i have really been enjoying all your posts... two green thumbs up ...

especially in regard to taking the pix.. uploading.. downloading them ... and all the attendant time you invest in entertaining us ...

most of the stuff you post about.. i dont grow.. so i usually have little to say ... specific to the post..

but i just wanted to take the time here.. now.. to THANK YOU... for all the posts ...

is that a hosta?? .. lol

ken

I have no clue what that is but it sure is impressive.

Looks quite a lot like a mayapple leaf.

I was able to get confirmation and it is a Podophyllum pleianthum or Dysosma pleiantha. (This plant is a member of the "Mayapple" family...very good dbarron).

Here is a link that might be useful: Podophyllum pleianthum

This post was edited by rouge21 on Sat, Jul 26, 14 at 15:21

Thanks very much Ken. Good to hear from you.

Woody's original question was prompted by a photo including some of my rhubarb leaves. Here it is in its spring glory. I know that I am supposed to cut off the flowers, but I really like the flowers as well as the leaves and the pies, so I manage it for all three.

I was just checking on that Podophyllum pleianthum.... Lost Horizons has it - I checked after reading the blog post in the link below. Both that blog and the Missouri Botanical Garden information says the flowers are smelly as they rely on flies for pollination. The question is - how smelly?! That would determine where one might want to put it! Both the blog and MBG say it is a clumper but can spread by rhizomes - I wonder how big an issue that could be? And it sounds like it might be a good idea to have only one plant to reduce the chance of viable seeds. The MBG says it prefers acidic soil - which I don't have. It sounds, though, that a trip to Lost Horizons may be worthwhile to make further inquiries and see it in person.

nhbabs - how do you go about managing the flowers and leaves for the rhubarb? I've got a rhubarb clumps started in both a big pot and in the front bed to see if I can get one to establish well, and to compare how they do in a pot vs. the ground. Years ago I tried to grow one at the end of the driveway border. I let it flower and it petered out fast - but I'm not entirely sure the flowers were responsible for the failure of the plant!

Here is a link that might be useful: Podophyllum pleianthum - interesting blog post

How smelly? If pollinated by flies, typically rotting smelly!

Great link 'woody'...thank you.

(There is no mention of the 'scent' of the flowers.)

Rouge - check again just under the picture of the closer view of the flowers,,. It says something like ' smelling somewhat unpleasant, pollinated by flies'. The MBG site called the flowers 'malodorous'.

Woody, I let the rhubarb bloom, but cut off the stalks the minute the blooms start dropping so that the plant doesn't put any more energy into the flower/seed end of things.

I harvest for cooking both before and after bloom, but not in large quantity, and stop harvesting in late June so that the plants will be full for the summer.

I have found that rhubarb likes regular moisture. Where mine is it's well-drained but in a bit of a low spot so it gets extra moisture every time it rains.

nhbabs - I'll try that IF I can finally get one to grow decently for me! When I was a kid, there were clumps of it all over the place at Grandpa's. They got no special care - some were near the site of an original farmstead over 100 years old and they were still productive clumps that got no care other than regular harvesting in spring. But I haven't been able to get one to grow here at all...! Try, try again.....

Rhubarb has such a hefty leaf but it wants two things which I have trouble giving, lots of moisture and a good rich soil.... But the bloom stalks are mighty impressive too! If I could find them for an "experimental" price I would love to try the ornamental kinds.

Rouge, that's a relatively tame mayapple and be careful about going down that road. Google 'asian mayapples' and you'll see there are several others that have the big leaves plus cool patterning, and I don't think they die down like the Americans.
I think 'kaleidoscope' is an especially well patterned selection as is 'spotty dotty'. They're pricey and hard to find though!

UPDATE

Take a look at this one 'woody'!

We noticed this plant while driving in our old neighbourhood.

The leaves are a good 3 feet across and you can see some flowers of some sort ready to come forth. (The aspect is full sun).

It must be some...tropical plant...started indoors?

Elephant Ears (Colocasia) in the front and banana in the back I think... We usually grow EE in pots by the front porch and on the back patio. We didn't bother with them this year - I love the leaves but the plants need lots of water so keeping them watered can be a PITA :-) I wonder if the plant in the picture is growing in a little pond....? We've never got flowers when growing them in pots but the Alocasia we grow as a houseplant in the living room has flowered a few times.

:-) I've tried - or considered but rejected for some reason - just about any big-leafed plant I've read about or seen.... :-)

I was just trying to add pictures of the EE we've grown but can't get right-click to work on here today to drop in the pictures for some reason.... It works when I do it in Word or e-mail, but not here, so it's not a problem with the mouse... strange....

Wow rouge! I wish I had some adventurous neighbors like that!
Like woody said it's an elephant ear and I suspect it's something in the 'Borneo giant' alocasia group. It can get much much bigger and it's a plant I know I will fall for one day. So far I've resisted but it keeps showing up at the garden center to taunt me.
There are also quite a few angel trumpets in that yard. If you go by in the evening the whole yard is perfumed I bet.

I bought 5 Elephant Ear bulbs in a bag at Walmart in May. . Can't remember the exact price, but less that $10. Here is the results.
{{gwi:248674}}

Those are sure some magnificent elephant ears! I always liked the velvety feel of the leaves, in addition to their sheer size. But wrestling them out of the pots at the end of the season, cleaning them and storing them in the basement to dry for the winter, restarting them in February so they'd be a good size by the time to move them into the outdoor pots, keeping them copiously watered in the summer...., all got to be too much effort so we discarded them at the end of last summer.

Here are old pictures of the rather ordinary ones we grew in pots. Near the front porch in 2008:
{{gwi:165511}}
By the back porch in 2011:
{{gwi:174708}}

You can see by their size that we just didn't keep them watered well enough.

I planted those Ears in the ground. For all they cost, I don't think that I will dig them up and store them for next year. If I want some next year, I will just go back to Walmart next May.

We have had a rather rainy summer so far. Have not felt the need to water the area in which they are growing. It is east facing. Our rain almost always comes from the West. Planted the bulbs right below the edge of the porch roof so they get all the drippings from it.

Thanks for the info. everyone.

It looks like it would be lots of fun growing Colocasia!

Ruth those are amazing! Any growing tips? and were they in those small pots all summer?
Seeing these pictures makes me want to try them again, but like Woody says it does turn into a little more work than it is to grow marigolds, but even the plain old Walmart ones look cool!

Kato- those were in the ground for the summer. I had a couple in nearly full sun and a couple in part shade. Both did about the same. They liked lots of water (but not standing water) and I fed them with Milorganite.

If you Google "Colocasia Thai Giant" you'll find some awesome and inspiring pictures. The pictures with people in them will probably give you a better perspective of how big and cool these plants can be.

I've mail ordered them from Wellspring Gardens on ebay and Brian's Botanicals. I was happy with both, and I'm definitely growing them again next year. I really miss not having them this year.

For the last many winters, we have treated our colocasia just like our cannas: cut down after frost, leave them in their soil and pots, move to cellar (~60 degrees ave), bring out in May. Soooooo much easier. Try it? FanTAStic Thai photos!!

another great large leaf perennial is macleaya. I love the bluish leaves and actually use it in one garden as a skirt at the base of a large chamaecyparis Golden Mops. Macleaya's natural height is 8' or so; as a skirt, i just keep it chopped down to its lower 1 or 2 sets of leaves! It likes moisture but grows very robustly in our hot dry bed.
People often say macleaya is invasive but we have had no trouble eradicating it.

Also, just fyi, Gertrude Jeckyl was famous for using potted hostas in spots where she wanted big leaves!

rouge - I'm guessing that's colocasia Thai Giant

You are definitely correct 'ruth'.

I stopped by the gentleman's property today and took a few poor quality phone pictures of his incredible zone 5 tropical garden.

He told me that his largest leaf this season was 6' by 4'!

He has several Brugmansia planted directly in the ground (not in containers) that were 10 feet tall and quite dense.

His "Banana" plants were equally impressive.

But he wasn't looking forward to all the work, bringing them into his basement or outdoor greenhouse, that was soon to happen with colder temperatures predicted this week.

He even had some 'cuttings' of that "Thai Giant" in grey plastic pots that he was willing to sell (see the last picture).

{{gwi:248675}}

{{gwi:248676}}

{{gwi:248677}}

{{gwi:248678}}

OMG, rouge, what town is he in that he can grow brugs in the ground?
mindy
supposedly you don't put them in the ground until the soil is a certain temp; same for cannas. did he tell you if he puts them in a pot and brings it in in the winter? Maybe they are already in a pot that he just sinks down in the soil?or does he just grow on cuttings in water? thx rouge (she sighed, w/ her glorious but SINGLE pink brug bloom because she didn't give them new soil or fert. them enough.)
mindy
My brug motto is:
"Paying the Price for lack of due diligence."

UPDATE:

Our first colocasia because of this thread from last season.

My partner doesn't like it as the proportions to the container are all out of whack but I like looking at it and seeing each leaf slowly unfold just in time to take a dying leaf's place.

Awesome, rouge! What kind is it?

I mail-ordered four small plants of 'Thai Giant' this spring. With the cooler weather a lot of the growing season, mine haven't done nearly as well as before. I have one in a pot on the deck that's really big, but the ones in the ground really sulked and are about the size now that they'd usually be in July. I'm hoping to overwinter them, but that didn't work for me last time. (But my niece has had one growing inside for a year!)

I just saw your post now 'ruth'. I think it is a "Thai".

This was my first summer with this plant and I decided to see it I could keep it alive over winter. I cut it back and repotted and brought it inside some time in September as I recall. Well I guess where it is in my basement is too warm and gets enough light as it is growing through the drop ceiling ;)

I don't personally get overly excited about giant plants, but I certainly appreciate anything significantly outside the normal range. So, I'm looking forward to growing cow parsnips, which are a very large plant, but native to North America, and seem to be quite attractive to a variety of pollinators. So, I'm adding it to my pollinator garden. I'm no good at including links, but if you search cow parsnips and click "image", you'll see pictures of 10-12 foot plants with 18" flower umbells. My sister has it growing in her garden and I was able to see the pollinators going crazy all over the blooms this spring. I was able to get a huge bag of seeds, and hope I can get some decent germination. If anyone would like to try some, I'm happy to share. Just message me privately, in case I don't find my way back to this thread.

Martha

Astilboides tabularis with foliage up to 2 1/2 ft across, this plant loves / needs moisture and thrives in its dappled shade location with many seed sown babies now scattered about.

twrosz - I adore this beauty and so does woodyoak.

rouge - Have you jumped on board with this one yet?

You will need to remove a couple of ceiling tiles to accommodate your indoor biggie lol!

peren.all, it was fun to see our first colocasia do well this past season. I am glad it can thrive in a pot as I have no room for these big 'eared' plants in the ground!

(I guess I will cut back that indoor stalk sometime this week)

I enjoyed having this big pot of generic Elephant Ear on my deck this
year. When it was in more sun, it sulked. I moved it next to the
house into more shade and it took off.

I don't have a way to bring my large pots inside, so I dug up the EE and am going to try storing them along with some cannas. Wish me luck because my track record out of the pots isn't so great.... lost all my dahlias. I wish I could bring in the whole plant like rouge's photo shows but no way to do that. After seeing the pic from Ruth, I'd love to try the Giant Thai next year!

twrosz - yes, indeedy :-) Astilboides are fabulous plants - I've never had any seedlings from mine though. But I do tend to cut off the flowerheads quickly because I grow them for those fabulous leaves, not the flowers!

rouge - I've never tried growing colocasia indoors other than to pot up the root/bulb thingies in late January/early February to get them started so they'd be a good size by the time it's warm enough to grow them in pots outdoors. I haven't grown them at all for the past couple of years because getting them out of the pots in the fall was getting to be too much of a hassle :-) We do have an alocasia that has been growing in a pot in the livening room for 5 years or so now. It desperately needs to be repotted! It has flowered a couple of times, but the flowers weren't very impressive.

sandyslopes - getting the EE out of the pot in the fall is the hard part! I found them easy to keep over the winter. When we took them out of the pots in late October/early November, I used the garden hose on the 'jet' setting to wash the soil off the roots, put the cleaned plants (leaves, 'bulbs', and roots intact) in the garage for a week or so to dry off well, then put them on a rack (to give them good air circulation for drying) in the basement. By the time I was ready to pot them up to start growing again (see comment above...), the leaves and roots had thoroughly dried up and could be just crumbled off. There were usually new pink shoots starting to show at the top of the 'bulb' by the time I potted them up. Very easy... I never had any trouble with them rotting in storage, so I hope you have good luck with them too.

woodyoak, I did break some of the EE roots with my spade when digging them out. I just shook the dirt off, but maybe they need a more thorough washing. They're on newspaper in the garage until they dry. Then I was going to wrap them in newspaper to store them because I have a daylight basement and thought they'd need to be in the dark. Thanks for sharing how you store yours and for wishing me luck. :-)