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If you're into the unusual, meet the Paharaoh's Mask Elephant Ear, a unique cold-hardy hybrid that will stop folks in their tracks in wonderment, asking whether or not it's real. As the plant matures, its glossy olive green leaves, shaped like an elephant's ear with the look of a pharaoh's mask, boldly display raised, deep purple-black veins down the center, which branch out to the leaf's edge in symmetrically spaced rows. Preferring life on the moist side, Pharaoh's Mask thrives in consistently moist to wet garden soils in USDA Zones 7b to 11. It can be grown in containers that can kept outdoors year-round or moved indoors for the winter in Zones north of Zone 8. Or it can be grown indoors year-round with adequate light and proper care. Wherever you decide to grow it, Pharaoh's Mask will bring a tropical look and feel to a space and will surely be an eye-catching conversation piece.

The Pharaoh's Mask Elephant Ear is very easy to grow in any moist but well-drained to wet soil of average fertility. Though direct sun is tolerated with ample soil moisture, we've found this one performs better with some filtered sun or shade during the midafternoon hours when the sun is most intense. We suggest 4 or more hours of direct sunlight per day. The more sun, the larger the plant and its leaves grow. It prefers a consistently moist soil. Keep an eye on plants growing in containers and provide water if you see the foliage begin to wilt. Feed in spring and again in early summer with a slow-release flower food or natural or organic plant food. As mentioned above, Pharaoh's Mask is a hardy selection that can be grown outdoors in the ground year-round in USDA Zones 7b-11 (5F). When grown in containers outdoors, it is hardy to Zone 8b and, therefore, should be overwintered indoors when temperatures drop below 30. Bulbs can also be removed from the ground and stored in a cool indoor space where temperatures range from 60 to 65F.