Planting guide - Caladiums

Planting guide - Caladiums
Easy to Grow Bulbs

Leaves that Challenge the Brightest Blooms

If you haven't grown caladiums, consider making this the year that you learn first hand about these wonderful plants.

While most of us have grown our favorite flowers - often varieties that bloom for only part of the season - many have yet to realize that some foliage plants provide brilliant shows for months. Reds, pinks, whites, greens and incredible foliage patterns - caladiums have them all.

And the icing on the cake? Caladiums prefer the shady, humid sites that spell the demise of many plants. Have your cake and eat it, too. Grow caladiums, glorious foliage plants that challenge the brightest blooms.

Outdoor Beds

1. Find a location where the soil drains well. If there are still water puddles 5-6 hours after a hard rain, scout out another site. Or amend the soil with the addition of organic material to raise the level 2 - 3 inches to improve the drainage. Peat moss, compost, ground bark or decomposed manure all work well and are widely available. Caladiums can thrive in soils that are too moist for many tubers, but they will not survive in soggy soil or standing water.

2. Site your caladiums where they will receive filtered sunlight, bright indirect light or partial shade. In the hottest areas full shade is fine. Caladiums have big leaves that can be damaged by strong winds, so it's best to plant these tubers in areas with some wind protection.

3. Dig holes and plant the caladiums 2" deep. Look for the sides of the tubers that appears to have the most "eyes" or growing points, which appear much like the eyes on a potato. Plant the tubers with the eyes facing up. Plant tubers 8'" to 12" apart depending on the mature size of the variety.

4. After planting, water your caladiums generously, soaking the soil. Roots and sprouts will form quickly in warm soil. (If the soil is still quite cool, wait until it warms before planting or start indoors in pots.)

5. Water as needed during the growing season.

6. After the season has finished, you may trim off any yellow foliage to tidy up the garden. (In cold areas, to save your caladium tubers for next year, dig them before the first frost. Let the tubers air dry for several days. Then store them in a cool location in paper bags or boxes filled with peat moss.)

7. Your caladiums will rest for a few months before beginning the next growing cycle.

Pots, Tubs & Urns

1. Fill your containers with good quality, well-drained soil. Almost any commercially available potting medium will work fine. Make sure there are adequate drainage holes; caladium tubers must never sit in waterlogged soil or they will rot. Keep in mind the mature size of the varieties you have chosen and plan your container sizes accordingly.

2. Feel free to mix caladiums with other plants in the same container, keeping in mind that all must have the same light and water needs.

3. Site your caladiums where they will receive filtered sunlight, bright indirect light or partial shade. In the hottest areas full shade is fine. Caladiums have big leaves that can be damaged by strong winds, so it's best position caladium containers where they have some wind protection.

4. Dig holes and plant the caladiums 2" deep. Look for the sides of the tubers that appears to have the most "eyes" or growing points, which appear much like the eyes on a potato. Plant the tubers with the eyes facing up. Plant tubers 7'" to 10" apart depending on the mature size of the variety.

5. After planting, water your caladiums generously, soaking the soil. Roots and sprouts will form quickly in warm soil. (If the soil is still quite cool, wait until it warms before planting or start indoors in pots.)

6. Water as needed during the growing season.

7. After the season has finished, you may trim off any yellow foliage to tidy up the garden. (In cold areas, to save your caladium tubers for next year, dig them before the first frost. Let the tubers air dry for several days. Then store them in a cool location in paper bags or boxes filled with peat moss.)

8. Your caladiums will rest for a few months before beginning the next growing cycle.

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