Anyway so i figure i would share my knowledge of elephant ears with those of you who like them, want to plant them but is really debating on it.
1)are hard to kill- most plants are really picky about being planted (and re-planted), you have a chance of them dieing on you and not coming back. However, elephant ears are not picky at all. I have replanted a lot of them and they may look not pleased for a day or two but they always snap out of it. Just make sure you give them there water after you plant them for the first 2 days then there good to go.
2) where to plant them-
a)they like half sun half shade. for example sun in the morning and no sun in the afternoon. Or no sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon. Some plants are really picky when they get there sun but not elephant ears. However, they don't like being in full sun. For example i had my elephants on cement next to our pool against the wood fence and they was not happy at all. I left them for 2 weeks and once i moved them and gave them water they was fine but they was very irked at me. They also like being planted where the ground is wet or just a little moist. I have a lot of mine planted next to a creek and they seem to really like it.
b)You also need to account for how big they can get. Here is a picture of me with my biggest one (i am 5'7).
Now i have not seen one this big, mine is the first. I have seen them probably half the size if not a little bigger so definitely account for that when planting.
c)elephant ears as you notice tend to lean in one direction so where ever you plant them account for them leaning.I like to plant my elephant ears all facing the same direction (them all leaning one way) and i recommend doing it cause if you plant them different it just doesn't look right.Now if you buy a bulb elephant ear you will not be able to tell what way they lean so if your picky (like i am) plant the elephant ear in a pot first and then when it comes up you can see what direction it will lean.
3)elephant ears populate- when elephant ears are happy you will begin to see them pop up baby's next to them so yeah they can populate more of them and pretty decently fast i have seen one come up in 3 weeks of replanting a elephant ear.
4) do they die back- yes. When first frost hits they will die. I don't recommend planting them where it snows cause they might not come back. They don' t like it that cold. However, if you live in a hotter area like i do then these would work for you.
Elephant ears are extremely easy to take care of. I live in a hot area and the ones i have in the ground i don't water them and the ones i have in pots i water them once a week maybe twice or if they look really druppy i water them. I definitely recommend planting them if your looking for something different and easy to plant.
