On Gardening: Royal Hawaiian Maui Gold will have you in vacation mode all summer

Norman Winter, Tribune News Service on Mar 6, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

A few months ago I wrote a column called "Let Loose the Chartreuse." This is my go-to color to make all companions or combinations literally "POP WITH PIZZAZZ"! In that column I dabbled here and there with some of my favorites, both new and old selections.

There is one I didn’t mention as it really deserves its own column; it offers a commanding garden performance from late spring through frost. The name is Royal Hawaiian Maui Gold, and while it is really chartreuse, its value to the landscape is pure gold. Royal Hawaiian Maui Gold is a named variety of Colocasia esculenta elephant ear.

I have had my clump for 6 years. There have been years when I let it grow large, and other years I keep it trimmed to show off its partners. I have separated it for use in other parts of the landscape and shared some with neighbors.

It is a recommended perennial for zones 8 and warmer, but I bet you most gardeners could coax it back in zone 7. It is among the easiest bulbs to dig and store over winter in colder zones. No matter how it is used, it lends a touch of the tropics, like its name suggests. You will feel that magic of the Hawaiian Islands.

I have mine in clumps around a windmill palm, which is in a bed just off a garden type bath, further adding to the mood. My neighbor Dave has his in a bed with wood ferns and hydrangeas, which is inspirational to say the least.

If you are in the South and let it have its way, you will find it pushing 48 inches tall and wide. The first year I let them get large around the palm and used them as a backdrop for various containers. Then I added Heart to Heart Hot Flash and Mesmerized caladiums, which gives a special look by virtue of color but also similarly shaped leaves.

Everything turned to dazzle the year Luminary Sunset Coral tall garden phlox made its debut in the marketplace. I added four to my square-shaped bed and by early summer it was like I had created a floral version of the Cherry Lime. The phlox will be permanent perennials along with the Royal Hawaiian Maui Gold.

The addition of the phlox meant I could start playing with Heart to Heart caladiums as color partners. The first year I added Heart to Heart Bottle Rocket. The red veins in the foliage echoed the Luminary Sunset Coral blooms perfectly and of course Royal Hawaiian Maui Gold always yields the utmost in contrast.

The next year I switched to Heart to Heart Clowning Around and I believe that may be the most beautiful combo ever. If I can get those jumbo bulbs again, I will repeat that partnership in 2025.

Last year I added some new plants to the mix: Cherry Cordial Hawaiian Ti, and Blue Mohawk Juncus or soft rush and ColorBlaze Mini Me Chartreuse coleus. I wanted to tone the riotous color down a notch and chose Heart to Heart Splash of Wine. This caladium has red in irregular splotches or dots.

The combo worked to perfection other than the coleus turning out to be a little more vigorous than I thought. This caused something to be trimmed almost weekly so everyone could get their moment in the sun. If it sounds like I might be complaining about ColorBlaze Mini Me Chartreuse coleus, just know it is unbeatable, a champion.

All of this fun with designs is first a result of planting Royal Hawaiian Maui Gold elephant ear. Plant some and let your artistic nature unfold. A plus will be that you too will feel like you are on a tropical vacation all summer.

____

(Norman Winter, horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy.)

(NOTE TO EDITORS: Norman Winter receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.)