Sun Loving Caladiums

Sun Tolerant Caladiums

Spring is coming soon, Thursday, March 19 2020 and as the weather warms and soil temperature rise, we need to survey our garden. Very soon we will be back in our 

White Wing Caladium

gardens again. To tell you the truth I can’t wait any longer. We have been teased by Mother Nature this year with one or two weeks of warm weather days only for her to change her mind and bring back cooler weather days. Mother Nature says “no not yet, it’s too early”. I go to garden centers tempted to purchase, but I know better. There are some items that can be purchased now and planted later once the soil warms and that is spring bulbs or tubers. There are numerous spring bulbs or tubers to plant in the spring, but there is one that has been under-utilized in the garden or containers and that is Caladiums.

Caladiums can be planted in shade or sun depending on the variety. They are planted for their dramatic tropical foliage and versatility. Their heart-shaped leaves and colorful foliage will brighten the shadiest or sunniest areas of the garden. There are numerous color combinations of white, red, and pink. If that hasn’t enticed you to try caladiums this year, caladiums are on the easy-care plant list.

There are two types of classification for Caladiums: fancy-leaved and strap or lance-leaved varieties. Varieties range in heights from 12’’ – 30’’. Fancy-leaved varieties have much larger foliage whereas strap or lanced-leaved varieties have slender leaves, thicker foliage, and compact habit of growth. Caladiums do have an inflorescence (flower), but it is considered not showy. The flower like bud is called a spathe, which is a modified leaf that is not showy considered to other plants, which have a showy spathe, for example Spathiphyllum plant. There is still some disagreement as to trim the spathe or not. I personally trim the spathe back when they appear to promote more foliage.

Caladium tubers are graded by size #1, #2, #3. #1 tubers are larger with more growth points or eyes. The more growth points, the more foliage. When purchasing your tubers, I recommend #1. The tubers should be plump and firm, not soft or shriveled.

Caladiums can be planted in sun or shade depending on variety. Planting sun-loving caladiums in western exposures will require more water during July and August. They are winter hardy in zones 9-11. In zones 3-8 caladiums are treated as an annual.

Caladiums can be planted March-July or when the soil temperature is 65 degrees or above, which usually is after all danger of frost in your area. Plant the tubers 1-1½’’ deep and space 12’’ apart. Add bone meal to the planting hole. Place the caladium tuber smooth side down, with the points up. Fertilize monthly with a 6-6-6. Mulch after planting. Listed below are sun-loving varieties to try this spring.

Aaron: Height: 20 inches. Width: 12-18 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Large heart-shaped leaves with a white center that flows white veins of the leaf ending with marginal, medium green edges. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Brandywine: Height: 18 inches. Width: 12-18 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Large heart-shaped leaves with deep wine-red center, red veins, with dark green margins. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Carolyn Whorton: Height: 18-24 inches. Width: 12-18 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Large heart-shaped leaves, light pink center, red veins, mottling green through out the leaves, ending with a medium green border. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Fannie Munson: Height: 18-24 inches. Width: 12-18 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Large heart-shaped translucent leaves, deep pink to red mid-veins with light green margins. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Fiesta: Height: 12 inches. Width: 12 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Color: Large heart-shaped, white center, deep pink to red central veining. The wide red to pink veins, bright white background, ending with green pin-striping along the borders of the leaves make a Fiesta to your garden. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Fire Chief: Height: 18-24 inches. Width: 12-18 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Large to medium heart-shaped leaves, deep pink to red background with medium green mottled through out the leaves. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Flamingo: Height: 18-24 inches. Width: 12-24 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Large to medium heart-shaped leaves, hot pink to candy pink background with wide emerald green margins. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Florida Fantasy: Height: 18-24 inches. Width: 12-24 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Large to medium heart-shaped leaves, snow white background, deep red mid-veins, with green spidery veins ending with small green edges. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Florida Sweetheart: Height: 12 inches. Width: 12-15 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Lance, ruffled shaped leaves of rosy pink with deeper rose veining through-out the leaf ending thin green margins. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Freida Hemple: Height: 18-24 inches. Width: 12-24 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Large fancy-leaf, deep red background, red veins, ending with wavy, green margins. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Frog In A Blender: Height: 18-22 inches. Width: 12-18 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Large fancy-leaf, wildly random, artfully splotched variegation from gorgeous lime to deep forest green. Frog In A Blender makes a perfect combination with all caladium varieties and combination planters. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Garden White: Height: 24-36 inches. Width: 18-24 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Large creamy white fancy leaf, green vein netting ending to a dark green margin. Garden White pairs beautifully with deeper red or pink caladium varieties. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Gingerland: Height: 12-15 inches. Width: 12-18 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Strap-leaf leaves, creamy white background with red to pink flecks ending with a rich, dark green margin. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Lance Whorton: Height: 12-18 inches. Width: 12-18 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Strap-leaf leaves, crimson background, main and mid-veins, flecks of white throughout ending with a slightly wavy, rich green border. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Miss Muffet: Height: 12 inches. Width: 12-14 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Strap-leaf chartreuse leaves, pink to deep red freckles, white mid-veins, ending with ruffled edges. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Moonlight: Height: 18-22 inches. Width: 12-24 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Bright, pure white heart-shaped leaves, pale green spidery veins throughout, ending with a thin green border. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Pearl Blush: Height: 12-14 inches. Width: 12-18 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Strap/lance leaves that open pink that turn white as they mature, pink mid-veins, ending with emerald green wavy edges. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Pink Gem: Height: 12-14 inches. Width: 12-15 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Bright, rosy pink strap/lance leaves, freckles of white, crimson veining, ending with a green border. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Pink Symphony: Height: 12-14 inches. Width: 12-15 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Translucent pink strap/lance leaves, green mid-veins ending with wavy edges. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Postman Joyner: Height: 22-24 inches. Width: 20-24 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Large, deep, ruby red heart-shaped leaves, prominent red mid-veins ending with a deep emerald green border. This variety has deepest of all the reds. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Red Flash: Height: 20 inches. Width: 18-20 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Large, deep, ruby red heart-shaped leaves, red veins, pink and white speckles, dark green background and borders. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Red Frill: Height: 14-16 inches. Width: 14-16 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Large, deep red strap/lance leaves, wavy dark green border. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Red Ruffles: Height: 12-14 inches. Width: 8-10 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Compact deep red, strap/lance leaves with wavy green border. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Rosebud: Height: 18 inches. Width: 12-18 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color:  Fancy, candy pink center and mid-veins leaves, intertwined with frosty green and white background ending with a bright green border. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Royal Flush: Height: 16-20 inches. Width: 14-16 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Deep red medium to large fancy leaves, red veins ending with a green border. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Spring Fling: Height: 18-24 inches. Width: 16-18 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Large hot pink fancy leaves with dark green to black veins. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Strawberry Star: Height: 16-18 inches. Width: 12-14 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Medium to large white fancy leaves sporting light green mid-veins and green spider veins with red-pinky freckles. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Tapestry: Height: 16-20 inches. Width: 7-9 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Fancy deep moss green heart-shaped leaves with crimson mid-veins with creamy to white freckles. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

White Christmas: Height: 14-16 inches. Width: 14-16 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Large fancy leaf with dark moss green mid-veins and margins with a white background. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

White Queen: Height: 18-24 inches. Width: 12-18 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Large fancy leaf white sporting green margins, red to pink mid-veins and green spider veins. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

White Wing: Height: 8-14 inches. Width: 10-12 inches. Light: Full sun to part shade. Color: Compact strap/lance leaf of creamy white with green margins touched with rose-red at the top of the leaves. Uses: Loves heat and humidity. Add a splash of the tropics to your garden. In baskets, borders, containers, and foliage interest in combination planters and baskets.

Listed below are a few websites that offer caladium bulbs for purchase.

CaladiumWorld

HappinessFarms

ClassicCaladiums

Photography and digital images are ©Cheryl Ann Meola 2020. All Rights Reserved. All photographs and digital images displayed in this article are for viewing purposes only and cannot be duplicated. ©Cheryl Ann Meola 2013. Texas Certified Nursery Professional #1282.