I have always started my caladiums in the house and they move along fast. They are ready to plant out in late May or early June. See my photo top row, second from the left. Since my bathroom is the warmest room in the house they do well on the sill there. It is just too cold for too long here to plant them out directly. By cold, I mean less than 50 deg.

Caladiums (Caladium)

Mine are doing pretty good. I planted them a few days after receiving them which was at the end of May. So planted the first of June. Here's what I did with some of them.

Cat, the white ones seem to glow. That is sure going to be beautiful when they fill in.

Connie, they look like little pieces of stained glass. Love it.

pardalinum: I love your photo of the Caladiums on the window sill with the frosted glass background, very pretty look!

Cat: Looks like you're going to have a lot of pretty colors once those babies fill out!

I have a few Caladiums in-ground that came back this year and more in containers. I have a bad habit of buying bulbs and other plants, sitting them aside thinking I'll get around to planting them and then weeks later I end up in a hurry and just stick them in whatever container happens to be nearby.

'Blushing Bride' potted with a Hibiscus and 'Candyland' with Pentas lanceolata.


'White Queen', a large leaf variety and 'White Wing', photos from a few years ago, I don't have either of these anymore.

The one with the pinky red plant (Pentas I see) is really neat!!!

I can not seem to keep Caladium alive. Yours are wonderful.

Beautiful Lin.

Thank You Marilyn and Valleylynn! I know many folks only grow Caladiums as house plants or garden annuals. I am fortunate to live in Florida where we can grow them as in-ground perennials as well as in containers. Sometimes if we have freezes I will lose a few but I still find a few sprouting in containers with other plants now and then when I think they must have bit the dust. These photo's are from today; one Caladium growing in a potted Dracaena on my deck and another growing at the base of a potted Ponytail Palm:

Wow, how fortunate for you Lin. I just hope to keep these I have growing through the summer and fall.

We don't yet know when the photo contest starts, correct?

I love Caladiums! I always pick up a bag or two or three of them from Wally World when they get clearance marked down in late Spring/early Summer. I keep adding more of them to my yard every year. Most of mine are in pots, but I do grow some in the ground, too. I just love them! The color is beautiful on most all of the different cultivars and they can be grown in light shade to full sun. (Though they do tend to fade in color in full sun unless they have white leaves.) Partial shade is best here for me. I place the pots wherever I need some color or a "fancy" plant to add to an area of my garden. I have a "thing" for them and they are the only plant I can't resist buying when they are marked down. I would love to have them all around my yard! Wouldn't that be stunning?!!! They do need regular watering during the hotter months of the year, so for some of you having them die on you .... you may not be watering them enough or perhaps even too much. Once a week is how often I water mine in summer. Once every two or three weeks in Winter when they go dormant. The first year I grew them, I didn't realize they were not evergreen. I thought they had died. So I replanted other plants in some of the pots. Imagine my surprise when Spring came and I had them burst forth in color again! LOL! They are wonderful plants!

There are so many new cultivars coming out every year. I have seen some that I really coveted that are newly introduced. Some amazing colors and patterns on the leaves. And for anyone into hybridizing, they can indeed be hand-pollinated (though tricky) to try you hand at your own hybrid crosses! They can make 100's of seeds from one bloom. I tried it one year and had good success, but we had a cold winter later than year and I forgot to protect them and they all died (too small to survive those temps). So I lost all the new babies. But I may try my hand at it once again when I have a few more different cultivars for more genetic traits. The majority of mine bloom about the same time or very near to the same time. I need to try saving (freezing) some of the pollen until everything blooms (for crossing the different cultivars to see what I can come up with). They are slow growing from seedling, but once they get going, it's pretty impressive!

This is one of my favorite non-flower plant species. (It flowers, but not like most ornamental flowering plants.)

Becky ::::
Mid July
The thread "Get ready for the 2014 Caladiums Photo Contest!" in Site Talk forum

Thanks, Jo Ann! I just knew that the winners would be chosen in August some time. I must have missed the mid July information. Probably got interrupted when I was reading the thread. I laughed when I clicked on the link you posted and it took me right back to your post/this thread! LOL! I thought there was a "new" thread about the contest .... LOL!

Hmmmmmmmm. I believe Dave is going to announce more details.

There is a post by me earlier in this thread that details the exact start and end dates.

http://garden.org/thread/view_...

Well, apparently I did get distracted or the power went out here and my internet went down because I totally missed Dave's detailed post.

Thanks, Cat... for linking to that post!

I needed to double check the dates anyway and that way it is easier to find.

We're a couple days away from the start of the 1st Annual Caladium Picture Contest..
Hopefully your caladiums are looking great and we'll have some magnificent pictures entered.
I for one am really looking forward to seeing a lot of my babies flourishing!! Whether they are my babies or not, it doesn't matter!!
So, get your cameras ready. You can begin entering pictures on Friday

Also, if anyone happens to be in the Central Florida area this week-end the Annual Caladium Festival will be going on. The festival runs from Friday July 25th through Sunday the 27th
It's a great little hometown festival!! Beautiful arts and crafts, great food, entertainment and lots and lots of caladiums!!
You can email me at: [email protected] if you have ANY questions about the festival or the photo contest.


Happy Gardening!!
Bill


Picture is the beautiful caladium "Moonlight"

The contest will begin on Friday, July 25th! On that day I will announce on the homepage the contest and you will then begin to enter your photos. I'll have a special photo contest area that I have prepared especially for this contest.

You will have until August 3rd to enter your photos, after which the voting will begin on August 4th and run through August 10th. The winners will be announced on August 11th!

I'm ready, let 'er rip.

Me, too!