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Caladiums
Garden Tips Newsletter - April 26, 2001

If you have a garden with lots of shade there is a way to have color - plant Caladiums. Caladiums are tropical foliage plants with spectacular color. They can be used as bedding plants, in pots, along a border -- wherever you might want some color in a shaded area where most sun-loving plants won't grow. Caladiums can be purchased at your garden centers either in pots or as dormant tubers. The large tubers usually have more leaf buds than small tubers and therefore make larger displays. Plant caladiums in a warm (70º F preferred), moist, porous soil with lots of organic matter. A pH of 6.0-6.5 is preferred. Tubers should be planted 2-3" deep and 8-12" apart. Caladiums can be treated as an annual if you leave the tubers in the ground over winter, however, if you remove the tubers before cold temperatures arrive you can plant them again next year.

For more information on Caladiums see MSU information sheet 1523 "Caladiums for the Landscape".

These archived newsletters were written by Dr. Lelia Scott Kelly. Kelly is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.