Voodoo Lily

(September 2007)

I saw an article in the newspaper several months ago about exotic plants. One in particular interested me, The Devil's Tongue, aka Amorphophallus konjac.  I ordered two of these plants and here by the end of the summer is where they are now, see attached pictures. I have had pretty good success with them and I understand they will go dormant at some point. They take three years to achieve fruition.  Do you have any advice for when the first cold snap comes and care during the winter months for these plants?

Amorphophallus konjac, also called Voodoo Lily, should be winter hardy at least in central and southern Arkansas.  It is reported hardy to zone 6, but I don't know anyone who has over-wintered one outdoors in the northern tier. The fact that you have yours in containers concerns me a bit as to hardiness. You basically have a few choices: plant it in the ground and mulch heavily after a killing frost (if you live in central or southern Arkansas), sink the pot in the ground to help protect the root system and mulch heavily for the winter (again determined by where you live), or allow the potted plant to go dormant, then store under the house or garage for the winter.  The key is to protect the bulb from freezing. The family of Amorphophallus is an unusual family with interesting flowers that have quite an offensive odor.  They smell like rotting meat to attract the pollinators they need.  They also can grow quite large, depending on variety.  You will either need to increase the pot size each year or plant it in the ground to achieve the large size that this one can grow to.

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