The adult elephant ear plant will need at least 3 feet (1 meter) of space, at a bare minimum, for proper growth and show in a relatively shady area. A really healthy plant may need as much as 5 feet (1-2 meters) of space.
Planting instructions: Plant Elephant Ears bulb about 3" deep in well-drained soil. Best grown in fertile, humusy, organically rich, medium wet to wet soils in full sun to part shade. Full sun generally brings out the best leaf color for this cultivar. However, in the hot summers of the south, plants appear to do best in part shade, particularly with some light afternoon shade. When growing plants in garden soils, provide regular moisture, especially during dry summer periods, and do not allow soils to dry out. Plants may also be grown as pond marginals in up to 6" of standing water. Bulbs should be dug up in fall after first frost and then over-wintered in a cool dry place (set in dry peat or wood shavings) where temperatures do not dip below 45 degrees F, in somewhat the same manner as done for cannas. Trim most of the green vegetation (top growth) off the top of the tubers: leave no more than half to 1 inch of leafy growth on the tuber. Let the freshly trimmed tubers sit in open air so they can visibly dry out before final storage - maybe a couple of days at most will do. Drying out will minimize the potential for mold, and bacteria to develop.