Colocasia Mojito

No two are ever the same, and that's the whole charm of it. Colocasia 'Mojito' takes bold green elephant-ear leaves and splashes, streaks and flecks them with deep purple-black, as if each one were hand-painted by a different hand. Even the stems get in on it, marbled and speckled to match. It's one of the most distinctive and collectable of all the Colocasia.

The markings are completely random, so every leaf is a small surprise as it unfurls and every plant is genuinely one of a kind. It has all the lush, jungle presence you'd want from a Colocasia, with that extra layer of intrigue that makes people lean in for a closer look. Grown in a generous pot or as a feature in an exotic border, it's a proper talking point.

Where to grow it

Happy in full sun to part shade, in rich, reliably moist soil — it's at home in boggy ground and at the water's edge. Good light brings out the contrast between green and black, so a brighter spot gives the boldest speckling, though shelter it from the fiercest midday sun. Keep it well watered and well fed and it'll reward you with leaf after individually marked leaf.

Supplied as an established young plant in a 9cm pot, grown here in Norfolk and ready to romp away once the warmth arrives.

Colocasia are grown for those spectacular leaves, and 'Mojito' wants the usual three things: warmth, moisture and food. Once nights are reliably warm, stand the pot in full sun or light shade, keep the compost wet at all times — it is happy standing in water — and feed fortnightly through summer. Good light sharpens the contrast between the green and the black flecking, so the brighter the spot the bolder the markings.

Shelter it from strong wind, which shreds the foliage, and remember the speckling is random — every leaf and every plant will be different.

Overwintering

This is a tender plant and will not come through a UK winter outdoors. As the first frosts approach the leaves will tire and die back — that is your cue. Either move the whole pot into a frost-free greenhouse, porch or conservatory and keep it barely moist until spring, or lift the tuber, dry it off and store it somewhere cool and frost-free. Start it back into growth with warmth and water from April and it will return as characterful as ever.

Plant it with dark-leaved Colocasia, bananas, cannas and ferns for a rich, layered tropical scheme full of contrast, or let it stand alone as a feature where its speckled leaves can be admired up close.