Featured Blog: Caladiums, the Heartthrobs of the Perennial Shade Garden

It happened again. I thought it probably would. It had happened before. 

I kinda depended on this special event - there it was - a blue ribbon at the State Fair accompanied by the orange Award of Merit. 

The blue and orange ribbons are worth a few dollars prize money (that is nice) but those ribbons mean I can grow something and grow it well.  That is especially rewarding when it is a beautiful, favorite plant.

This plant is unique with perfect shape, fabulous colors, resilience to pests, no offensive odor and practically care free - what more could one want from a plant?  These gorgeous leaves can be used as "cut flowers", in planters, hanging baskets or alone in flower bowls on the porch or deck.

My first memorable encounter with this plant was when visiting a gardener friend in Roseville. She had returned from wintering in Florida and offered to show me what she had brought home with her. What she showed me appeared to me to be some low bowls filled with dirt sitting on heating pads.  Weird, I thought! 

An explanation was in order.

The bowls were planted with Caladium bulbs she had brought home.  These bulbs do not like to be planted in cold ground so cannot be planted outside until late May. Thus they were being started inside with the warmth from the heating pads making sure for an even semi warm temperature while they were getting started.  Sure enough, when I visited in summer there were splashes of vibrant color in her shade garden - reds, greens, whites, pinks and shades of all these colors.

I wanted to grow these large leaves with their lovely colors. Were they bulbs, corms, tubers?  It turns out these words are all used when describing the entity from which these leaves emerge. 

When purchasing, one usually asks for "bulbs".  The bulb is the sum of the corm and tubers.  That first year I bought three bulbs, planted them about mid April in a "lettuce bowl", set them on the floor near a heat duct and waited to see what would happen.

Once they started growing I could have transplanted them to a shady place in the garden, but I wasn't sure it was warm enough, the plants were sturdy enough or I knew enough to transplant them correctly.  They were just fine in the bowl which I set out on the deck under the willow tree.  They got plenty of filtered light and it was easy to water them.  I was delighted.

Definitely a tropical plant, Caladiums are indigenous to Brazil, SA, they grow in the Amazon basin rain forests, or in any place where the soil remains warm and reasonably moist.

The rest of us have to be sure to bring in our bulbs long before the first frost.  Minimum soil temperature is 55 degrees.

There are thousands of cultivars of which I've grown only a few of the Fancy-leafed varieties: 'Fanny Munson', 'Freida Hemple', 'Gypsy Rose', 'White Christmas' and some others.  The Strap or Lance-leafed varieties are usually smaller, under 12 inches. 

I've grown 'Florida Sweetheart', a rose pink with frilly green margins and 'Rosalie', red leaves and veins with green margins.  All are colorful, fablous plants for the shady areas of your garden.

I've been so pleased with ease of growing Caladiums.  There is always a place on the deck and in the flower shows I enter. 

Yes, if you want to get ribbons, or if you just want to enjoy planting these beauties for their heart shaped leaves, they will give your heart a thrill each time you look at them.  Be sure to try them next year.