Pig's ear
Give it a heavy pot: mature plants carry a lot of weight at the top and blow over in a summer gust, which usually snaps a stem.
Care
Full sun for the white farina on the leaves, which is what makes the plant. Shade gives green, floppy growth.
Summer-growing. Water when dry through in the growing season, almost nothing in winter.
Gritty and open, in a pot deep enough to stop a top-heavy plant blowing over. It resents its leaves being wetted — the white coating washes off and doesn't come back — so water at the base and keep it out of the rain.
Shorten leggy stems in spring to keep it bushy, cutting just above a leaf pair, and use the tops as cuttings. Remove the tall flower stem once the orange bells are over.
A weak feed once or twice in summer, no more. It is a shrubby succulent that stands up better when grown lean; rich feeding gives soft stems that bend under the weight of the leaves.
Stem cuttings in spring or summer: cut a shoot with two or three pairs of leaves, let it callus for several days, and set it in dry gritty mix. Leaf cuttings are unreliable in this genus — take stems.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- AprilShorten leggy stems just above a leaf pair to rebuild a bushy shape. how ›
- MayTake stem cuttings from the prunings; let them callus before potting. how ›
- JuneOutside for the summer once frost is past, in full sun and out of heavy rain. how ›
- JulyOrange bell flowers on a tall stem; cut the stem out at the base once they are over.
- OctoberUnder cover, cool and dry, before the first frost. how ›
- DecemberBarely water at all now; wet compost in the cold is what kills it. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- AprilShorten leggy stems just above a leaf pair to rebuild a bushy shape. how ›
- MayTake stem cuttings from the prunings; let them callus before potting. how ›
- MayOutside for the summer once frost is past, in full sun and out of heavy rain. how ›
- JulyOrange bell flowers on a tall stem; cut the stem out at the base once they are over.
- OctoberUnder cover, cool and dry, before the first frost. how ›
- DecemberBarely water at all now; wet compost in the cold is what kills it. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchShorten leggy stems just above a leaf pair to rebuild a bushy shape. how ›
- AprilTake stem cuttings from the prunings; let them callus before potting. how ›
- MayOutside for the summer once frost is past, in full sun and out of heavy rain. how ›
- JulyOrange bell flowers on a tall stem; cut the stem out at the base once they are over.
- NovemberUnder cover, cool and dry, before the first frost. how ›
- DecemberBarely water at all now; wet compost in the cold is what kills it. how ›
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchShorten leggy stems just above a leaf pair to rebuild a bushy shape. how ›
- AprilTake stem cuttings from the prunings; let them callus before potting. how ›
- AprilOutside for the summer once frost is past, in full sun and out of heavy rain. how ›
- JulyOrange bell flowers on a tall stem; cut the stem out at the base once they are over.
- NovemberUnder cover, cool and dry, before the first frost. how ›
- DecemberBarely water at all now; wet compost in the cold is what kills it. how ›
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Green fingerprints or streaks where the white bloom has gone.
What to do. Cosmetic and permanent on that leaf. Handle by the pot and water at the base.
How to spot it. Long stems that fold under the leaf weight.
What to do. More light and less feed; prune back hard in spring and re-root the tops.
How to spot it. Blackening at the base after a cold damp spell.
What to do. Cut above the damage and re-root; keep it drier and better ventilated next winter.
Popular varieties
Questions
Pig's ear: is it hardy?
H1c: Tender, needs above 5°C. It survives above 5 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Yes — a pot is how it is grown in Britain, standing out for the summer and coming in for winter.
Pig's ear: when do you prune it?
Shorten leggy stems in spring to keep it bushy, cutting just above a leaf pair, and use the tops as cuttings. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in April.
Pig's ear: when does it flower?
In the climate of UK it flowers in June–August.
When do you feed it?
A weak feed once or twice in summer, no more. It is a shrubby succulent that stands up better when grown lean; rich feeding gives soft stems that bend under the weight of the leaves. Feeding months, UK: May, July.