Elephant's ears

How to grow Elephant's ears

Written by the GardenDecoded editorial team · Last reviewed 21 July 2026 · Written for UK gardens · How we research our guidance

Planting

Plant in autumn or spring; it is undemanding and will cope with poor soil, dry shade and exposure better than most evergreen perennials. A position with some winter sun brings out the red leaf colour. Plant the rhizomes shallowly, just at soil level.

Pruning

Pull or cut away dead and marked leaves in spring, and remove the flower stems once the blooms have gone over. Every few years lift and replant congested clumps, discarding the bare woody sections of rhizome.

Propagation

Divide the rhizomes after flowering or in autumn, keeping a fan of leaves on each piece. Sections of rhizome laid on compost will also root.

Pests and diseases

Vine weevil grubs are the main problem, particularly in containers, and can hollow out the rhizome. Slugs and snails chew the leaf margins.

Value to wildlife

The early flowers are useful to queen bumblebees emerging in late winter, and the evergreen leaves give ground-level cover year round.

Notes

The clumps go woody and bare in the middle after several years. Lift, split and replant the young outer growth roughly every four years to keep it looking like ground cover rather than a ring of leaves.

This guidance was researched and written by GardenDecoded — see our editorial policy for how guides are checked and reviewed.

Other names for this plant

These names have all been used for Bergenia crassifolia var. crassifolia but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.

Others in Bergenia