I'm game. I have baby Konjac Leo song, and should have A. Sikokianum babies on the way. Also Musa bajoo pup. Don't know what else you are into. I will have lots of Verbascum 'Banana Custard' seed, policeman's helmet seed at the end of the season.

Guess I'll have to wait and see what I get. But, I'll put you down as a "for sure" as soon as I get a pup. Would love to have A. Sikokianum. I'll have to see if A. Konjac "Leo" is hardy in zone 7? I'm willing to push one zone if necessary.

I tried to grow V. 'Caribbean Crush' this summer, but lost it. I failed to water it on time, so my bad. I have the persistent species verbascum, that keeps reseeding.

Will keep you posted.

Susan

Of the three species of verbascum I've grown I like the 'Banana Custard' the best. It wins on several counts. Biggest flowers, richest yellow, tallest, and most branching, longest flowering. I just measured it at 8 feet 8 inches, with 7 flowering side branches.

I started a bunch of Verbascum olympicumthis year that I have yet to compare.

A. Konjac is hardy zone 7.

I believe that is the species I had, or maybe it was bombyciferus? I loved the big gray leaves on it. The flowers were not much to speak of, but it definitely made a statement in the garden.

My ship date is Monday, the 11th. I'll let you know how it comes. Probably will be a teeny tiny bulb....grrr....

Susan

what in the heck is a thai giant??

It's a colocasia gigantea "Thailand Giant", right MacDaddy? Can grow to 108" tall, 5' long leaves, is upright. You can see it on the Plant Delights website. I love it!

Susan

I've grown bombyciferus and it is not nearly as nice as the banana custard. Bobyciferus has not so impressive flowers.

Yes, Susan it is colocasia gigantea "Thailand Giant". I'm confused as to why you'd be confused however. You didn't order some Thai Stick by accident, did you? That certainly would be a plant delight.

Because I still get confused about whether it's a colocasia or an alocasia. I am new to this, so please be patient with the old girl! Is there any discerning characteristics that I could look for to determine if it is a C. or an A.?

No, I'm afraid Thai Stick went by the wayside following my 60's and 70's years! LOL!

Hmmmm. I will look for that particular verbascum. Does it come true from seed? You're right, the bombyciferus does not have impressive flowers, and they open, like, one at a time, so you never really get a "burst" of color. But, I did like the foliage, and it looked kind of majestic in my garden. But, I'm over that phase now. Just like I'm over gooseneck loosestrife - talk about a job digging that stuff out of my garden! I had to kill 2 or 3 plants in order to get the roots out.

So, waiting to hear your comments on the C. vs. A.......

Susan

You got it right. It's a 'C'.

Go look at those pictures on Fotki for the V. "Banana Custard". They are approaching 9 feet now at 8'8". It also has many flowers open at once.

One way I tell alocasias from colocasia is that the leaf is attached to the stem all the way up the leaf. And on colocasias the stem is attached in the middle.
Sorry for the very plain lanquage and not the botanical names for the parts of the plants. I also define colocasias as being more cold hardy. The C going with the cold. This is not always true but just my way of keeping them seperate.
I'm sure there is a more scientific way of telling.
As for xantosomas they are harder to define. But the shape of the leave is different and the texture of the leaf. Also the coloring is different.

What's Fotki? I'd like to look too!

Thanks,
Nanahanna

Susan- In general, one of the easiest ways to tell an Alocasia from a Colocasia is to spray the blades with water. A Colocasia will be completely waterproof. The water will bead up and run off leaving a completely dry blade. An Alocasia will usually remain at least as wet as an auto windshield sprayed with water.

Alocasias are usually rhizomatous rather than tuberous like Colocasias, but then A. cucullata is tuberous even though the tubers don't look very much like any Colocasia I've ever grown.

The navel and blade structure on my 'Thai Giant' Colocasias make them look at least as much like an Alocasia as a Colocasia, but then the blades are completely waterproof and they respond well to being flooded once a week and the developing tubers? don't look very much like Colocasias. Only time will tell.

Always fun to add to the confusion :)

Keiko

Keiko, will try that experiment just for my own satisfaction. Actually doing it will help me remember.

When did you get your Thai Giant, and how big is it now? Are you growing in the ground? Do you mulch heavily over winter? I am in upper 7a, but have been able to winter over EEs and Upright EE (I think its A. or C. machrorrhiza). I used to live in North Dallas for a couple of years. Loved it, except for the traffic. Shopped a lot at North Haven.

Susan

I think my Thai Giants came in in early May. I pampered them in gallon pots set in saucers of water for about six weeks, then put them in heavily manured ground and kept wet. Right now they are only four feet tall, but the blades are amazingling large for a four foot tall plant.

Yes, the North Dallas traffic keeps me from having the time to do half the things I would like to. My husband doesn't mind being the gofer. He keeps his cool listening to clasiical music while trapped in the gridlock :-)

Keiko

Keiko - that's what I do in traffic tie ups. It has a calming effect. I learned to get around Dallas on the major back streets. I could get to my destination quicker that way.

Did you get your Thai Giant from Plant Delights?

Susan