Elephant ears. (Colocasia esculenta)

Of the 200 or so species of plants that grow in my garden, none garners more comments, compliments or questions than the elephant ears (Colocasia esculenta).

This handsome plant has velvety, heart-shaped, oversized leaves that can be 2 feet wide and 3 feet long. When the slightest wind blows, the leaves ripple gracefully -- an obvious inspiration for this plant's common name. Plants grow as tall as 8 feet in a single season, bringing the lush look of the tropics to gardens in temperate climes.

Colocasia is native to tropical Asia. It is an important food crop in many cultures and is known in different parts of the world as taro, kalo, dasheen, eddo or …