Those Shady Characters... Caladium!

Each spring when I visit garden centers, I truly enjoy displays of various cultivars of Caladium. 

During summer visits to botanical gardens, I find areas adorned with Caladium seem to draw me near!

Each variety has its own unique beauty: patterned, speckled leaves (large and small), a plethora of color hues from creamy whites and pale pinks to bold reds and greens.  

The contrasting color of veining in each broad leaf provides visual interest as well.

The genus Caladium deserves a space in any ornamental home garden, and is used extensively in container gardening.  

Usually Caladium is considered a shade lover, but some newer cultivars thrive and survive in partly sunny locations.  

My personal experience with Caladium plants indicates they are happy with an eastern exposure location and are quite tolerant of humidity.

While visiting a garden center yesterday, I found a poster indicating some Caladium plants can grow in FULL SUN, providing they have sufficient water.   This is contradictory to what I have learned about this genus, so I will continue to protect those little beauties by planting them in a shady or part-sun location. 

If you wish to experiment with a single plant in a sunny location, be sure the plant tag indicates that particular variety can handle six + hours of sunshine each day. 

The genus Caladium is from family Araceae (Caladium plants are considered tropical perennials; this genus is native to Central and South America.)  These plants usually have a rating of Zone 9 or 10 which means they could be perennials in Southern Florida, but not here in Wisconsin.  

At the end of the growing season, a gardener can lift the tuber or bulb from the soil before first frost.  This bulb can be dried off and stored in a cool, dark location till March of next year; then plant in fresh potting soil.  (I have done this successfully once, but did not achieve success every time.)   

Some gardeners might like to use as a houseplant, but Wikipedia reminds us the plant parts are definitely toxic.

Explore all the possibilities when deciding which cultivars you wish to buy for your garden or containers. 

Try a few varieties together in a container, and enjoy those bold colors all season long!

M. Lynn Schmid, Master Gardener
A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture