LANDSCAPING WITH CALADIUMS

If you want to know which plants provide the most color, for the longest time and with the least amount of effort, ask a professional landscape designer. Their livelihood depends on hard-working plants!

In the southern half of the country, landscapers and garden designers rely on caladiums for dependable summer color. Today you'll find caladiums being planted in gardens from Houston to Chicago. Here's why:

It's easy to specify colorful plants for a sunny location, but the list of options is much shorter when the site is in full to partial shade. Caladiums will give even the shadiest yard lots of curb appeal.

Caladiums are a “plant it and forget it” solution, so landscapers don't need to worry about them. Like other summer-blooming bulbs, once the tubers have been planted, they know what to do and need no encouragement to come up and start growing.

In hot and humid weather, plants usually grow more slowly to conserve energy. Caladiums take the opposite appproach. The more tropical the weather, the faster they grow.

Many caladiums will grow in sun as well as shade. These varieties are ideal for yards with big trees and varying amounts of sun and shade.

All caladiums appreciate some protection from the sun during the hottest part of the day -- especially in southern areas. The most sun tolerant caladiums include: Aaron, Carolyn Whorton, Florida Cardinal, Florida Sweetheart, Red Flash, Rosebud and White Queen.

Caladiums don’t need flowers to look good so there’s never a down time. Week after week and month after month, the plants just keep getting fuller and more beautiful. When gardens look good, clients are happy and it's good for business!

Caladiums also grow well in containers, so they're an easy way to add all summer color to a deck or patio. Big-leaf varieties such as Aaron or Red Flash are ideal companions for other dramatic tropical bulbs such as elephant ears and canna lilies. Dwarf caladiums such as Gingerland and Miss Muffet perform beautifully in hanging baskets.

So if you have a shady or partly shady area in your yard or garden, why not consider growing caladiums? You can see our complete selection of these colorful foliage plants HERE. For planting and care suggestions, check out our Growing Guide for Caladiums.