Newsletter Articles
Elephant Ear Plants and Cannas for a Tropical SoCal Garden
Written by Susan B.
Elephant ears and cannas are the two plants that give a Southern California garden a lush, tropical look: elephant ears (Colocasia and Alocasia) bring huge, bold leaves, while cannas add tall foliage and bright summer flowers. Both are warm-season and frost-tender, elephant ears like steady moisture (Colocasia in sun to part shade, Alocasia in part shade) and cannas want full sun. One important note: elephant ears are toxic if eaten, so they are ornamental only, while cannas are pet-safe.
Quick answer: For a tropical look in SoCal, pair elephant ears with cannas. Colocasia elephant ears take sun to part shade and love moist to wet soil (their leaves point down); Alocasia elephant ears prefer part shade and moist but well-drained soil (their leaves point up). Cannas want full sun, rich moist soil, and regular feeding. All are frost-tender, but in mild-winter SoCal you can usually leave the tubers and rhizomes in the ground year-round. Keep elephant ears away from pets and kids, since every part is toxic raw; cannas are non-toxic.
| Plant | Light | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Colocasia elephant ear | Sun to part shade | Leaves point down; loves moist to wet soil; toxic if eaten |
| Alocasia elephant ear | Part shade | Leaves point up; moist but well-drained soil; toxic if eaten |
| Canna | Full sun | Tall foliage and flowers; heavy feeder; pet-safe |
What Are Elephant Ears and Cannas?
“Elephant ears” is a shared common name for a few big-leaved plants in the arum family, mainly Colocasia and Alocasia. The easiest way to tell the two apart is the leaves: Colocasia holds its heart-shaped leaves pointing down or outward and thrives in full sun to part shade with constantly moist, even boggy soil.[1] Alocasia, by contrast, holds its leaves pointing up toward the sky on more upright stems and prefers part shade with moist but well-drained soil; popular types include the large, upright ‘Portora’.[2] Cannas are a different plant altogether: bold, paddle-leaved perennials grown from rhizomes that bloom red, orange, pink, or yellow all summer. Despite the nickname “canna lily,” canna is not a true lily at all (it is in the family Cannaceae), which is part of why it is pet-safe.[3]
How to Grow Them in Southern California
Elephant ears and cannas all love our long, warm season. Give Colocasia full sun to part shade and keep it consistently moist, since it tolerates wet soil and even the edge of a pond.[1] Alocasia does best in part shade or filtered sun with rich, moist, but well-drained soil, and it dislikes strong wind.[2] Cannas want full sun, rich moist soil, and regular feeding; they are heat-loving and bloom best when they never go dry.[4] Plant canna rhizomes a few inches deep (about one to six inches) and set elephant-ear tubers shallowly, with only an inch or two of soil over the top. All of them are frost-tender with no tolerance for freezing, so plant in spring once the danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed.[4]
Designing a Tropical Look
The tropical effect comes from layering big, bold leaves at different heights. Use tall cannas at the back or center for height and flower color, then mass elephant ears in front for those dramatic, oversized leaves, mixing a dark Colocasia like ‘Black Magic’ with a tall, upright Alocasia for contrast.[2] Both grow beautifully in large containers for summer color, which also lets you move Alocasia into a shadier, wind-protected spot or pull tender plants closer to the house over winter. Fill in around them with other lush, moisture-loving plants for a full, jungle-like bed.
Overwintering and Keeping Them Safe
Elephant ears and cannas die back with frost, but in mild-winter Southern California, where hard freezes are rare, you can usually leave the tubers and rhizomes in the ground year-round; only in colder areas where the soil freezes do you need to dig and store them indoors after the first frost.[4] The bigger thing to know is safety. Elephant ears, both Colocasia and Alocasia, contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals and are toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, causing intense mouth and throat irritation, drooling, and vomiting if chewed.[5] The same is true of Alocasia.[6] They are toxic to people too: although Colocasia esculenta is the source of the edible root crop taro, every part is poisonous raw and is only safe to eat after thorough cooking breaks down the oxalates, so treat garden elephant ears as ornamental, not edible.[7] Keep them away from pets and small children who might nibble, and if a pet eats any, call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435. Cannas, happily, are non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, making them the pet-safe half of this pairing.[3] One last caution: Colocasia can be invasive in wet habitats and is flagged by the California Invasive Plant Council, so do not plant it near natural waterways, ponds, or wetlands, and never dump divisions into a drainage.[8]
Ready to build your own tropical corner? Visit any Green Thumb Nursery location and our team will help you choose elephant ears, cannas, and the right spot and soil to keep them lush all season. For more ideas, see our guide to growing tropical plants in Southern California.
Elephant Ears and Cannas FAQ
What are the types of elephant ears?
The two main types are Colocasia (leaves point down, loves moist to wet soil, takes sun to part shade) and Alocasia (leaves point up, prefers part shade and well-drained soil). Xanthosoma is a third, less common group.[2]
Are elephant ears toxic to dogs?
Yes. Elephant ears (Colocasia and Alocasia) contain calcium oxalate crystals and are toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, causing mouth and throat irritation, drooling, and vomiting if eaten. Keep them away from pets.[5]
Do elephant ears and cannas come back every year?
In mild-winter Southern California they usually do. Both die back with frost, but where the ground does not freeze you can leave the tubers and rhizomes in place and they return each spring.[4]
Do elephant ears want sun or shade?
It depends on the type. Colocasia takes full sun to part shade as long as the soil stays moist, while Alocasia prefers part shade or filtered sun with well-drained soil.[1]
Can you eat elephant ears?
Only taro (Colocasia esculenta) and only after thorough cooking. Every part is poisonous raw because of calcium oxalate, so garden elephant ears should be treated as ornamental, not eaten.[7]
Sources
- [1] Missouri Botanical Garden, Colocasia esculenta: missouribotanicalgarden.org
- [2] Missouri Botanical Garden, Alocasia (elephant ears): missouribotanicalgarden.org
- [3] ASPCA, Canna Lily (non-toxic): aspca.org
- [4] Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC, Cannas Can Take the Heat: hgic.clemson.edu
- [5] ASPCA, Elephant Ears (Colocasia esculenta): aspca.org
- [6] ASPCA, Alocasia: aspca.org
- [7] NC State Extension, Taro (Colocasia esculenta): plants.ces.ncsu.edu
- [8] California Invasive Plant Council, Colocasia esculenta: cal-ipc.org
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