My very first Caladiums
 

I got these mixed caladium tubers as a prize in one of the plant forums I am a member in, and this is my first time to grow them. Happy to see that these plants thrive in our heat wave conditions as long as in part shade. Seems the more heat wave we get, the faster to sprout and the better it grows:) Something nice in these terrible heat days. I have to keep the soil moist a bit more, after all it is a tropical plant.

They remind me of butterflies emerging :biggrin:

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I plant these bulbs every year in my front door planters (east facing under a porch) and they go crazy...I just love them!

Oh, that is good to know ddivey36!
I am still experimenting how much direct sun it can get. My garden is almost always in part shade, but there is a window from 11 am to 2pm where a certain part gets more direct sun. With our extremely dry temps I want to see how it will fare.

Do you pull and hide the tubers during Fall? or just leave them in their containers and hide the entire container?

Hey there Tarev. So most caladiums are low light- like a phal...a little sun on them is fine...I actually have them all over my wrap around porch in planters so the front door grow the best as it is east and the most shaded- the other two planters, one is on the north side and does ok, the other is on the west side and does better than the north side...they must really like that AM sun the best since my east facing planters are the most vigorous. It likes water and great drainage, we are so humid and hot, I am watering every 2-3 days. but this year all of them are putting out a bloom....only one bloomed last year...looks like a peace lilly bloom but they don't last very long, maybe a day or two.
So I tried to remove the tubers one year and keep them until spring....sigh....it works out better for me if I buy a bag of bulbs every year from the store.
Dede
I will post pictures later today or this weekend for you.

Thanks ddivey! Yup, I have been watering these plants here everyday. Our area is very hot and very dry. It seems to help in these heated days, am so thankful for the shade of the city trees!

Here are my Caladiums- from a bag of mixed bulbs- first four pictures are the front east, next two are north and last two are the west planters- I also give them orchid food when I am feeding all the orchids outside...They love it...There was a faded bloom on the front yesterday when I was taking pictures, like I said, they go fast, it's turning into a seed pod now I guess. Happy Growing!:waving

So lovely ddivey! Oh I have one of those pinkish leaves in my other container! Finally showed up during our heat wave here, but still waiting to unfurl. I am still experimenting where to place them, but I am glad they really like the heat..that is all we have here these days..heat!

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caladiums in bloom
 

Some of my caladiums are in bloom. Just a night and daytime photo of one of them: I like the blooms, reminds me of Peace lilies, since they both belong to the Araceae family.

Night time:
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early this morning, spathe shows nicely against the morning sun as it covers the spadix
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Beautiful!

Hey there! So glad you got to see those blooms! They do not last long at all! They are pretty cool looking and do remind me of peace lily. However, peace lily blooms last much longer.

I am just glad it bloomed! I have a peace lily, still in recovery phase after almost being killed by my hubby while I was away, so I have not seen it bloom at all. But I am learning fast, the way these caladiums love water, so I am giving my peace lily stepped up watering..like hitting 2 birds with one stone. Only difference my caladiums are outdoors, while peace lily is indoors.

I am going to try and observe now how long or how short the blooms go, our outdoor temps are back to the triple digits.

Here is another bloom from another container,looks cute nestled in between the leaves.

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Those blooms are pretty with the reddish tint. You are doing great!
some care tips for the winter:
The great advantage of pot-grown caladiums is that you can move them about as needed to keep them warm. When nights become chilly in fall, bring them indoors and keep in a sunny window, until the leaves begin to wither. At that point, let them dry out completely. To save space, you can collect the tubers, shake off the soil, and stash them in old hosiery or a mesh bag for up to five months. As long as the tubers are stored above 60d F, they will be ready to replant the following spring.

In the North (north of the I-10 corridor) dig up the bulbs and leaves, let ‘em dry for a week or so, trim off the tops and store the bulbs in a warm (60°F+) ventilated area for planting next spring.


Caladium bulbs pose a fall dilemma -- dig them up, or let them be? | NOLA.com

I am going to try to dig mine up this year. Let's keep up and compare notes!
:)

I love the variation of colors! Can you save the bulbs yearly? I know they are annuals.

Hi Optimist! Yup! At least that is what I have learned and also what ddivey is sharing. This is my first year to grow them..will find out how it fares.

ddivey, I will continue to update this thread as the seasons go, let's both share notes as you said :biggrin:

They take 6+ hours of Arizona summer sun if they're well watered. Surprise!