I know they're aroids, but Caladiums start out as bulbs, too

Since my first planting, with a bit of patience Caladiums have turned out to be a bulb with a lot of heart. Without a fancy bloom, their gift of curb appeal is endless as long as the temperatures are warm enough. And I think everyone can agree that this summer it has been pretty warm.

For a tropical plant, they certainly give their all for us in the northeastern part of the US. I hope we have some Caladium growing friends who can help us and we can help in return. And if you're in Lake Placid, Florida, I hope we'll be hearing from you. Thanks to Pirl, Bill and LariAnn, I have learned so much that I think we can spread it around.

Marcia

Thanks Cathy,

If anyone is EVER in the Lake Placid, FL area I do hope they'll stop in and say Hi!! If you're a DG member and would like a Personal tour of the fields just ask me.
I'll drive you out IN TO the fields. Just make sure you bring your camera!!!


Bill
Caladium Bulbs 4 Less

Marcia,

There is still time to get down here and go to the Caladium Bulb Festival in Lake Placid (Aug 24-26).

The first three photos are White Ruffles, the last is unknown to me.

I bet Bill knows......

Wish that I could! It may be hotter here than in Florida some days. Dale, your caladiums look great! I gather from their numbers that you leave your bulbs in the ground year round.

I'll bet Bill knows the variety, too. Those last 2 photos look like an early snow on the leaves! By the time we get snow, our plants are wintering inside.

Snow?? I have heard of it.

Philordendrens are aroids too (last photo)

Dale, i love them all. I truly believe I am a closet tropical gardener.

Good Golly; those are all beauuutiful!!!! I want them all! LOL

Growing caladiums is very rewarding. They are a gift of color, they like the shade or filtered sunlight best, but I also put them in full sun and keep them watered very well. All in containers so they can be moved around.

The first is Gingerland; the second I believe is Fannie Munson, third and fourth are White Queen. If I recall, the last is Miss Muffet with some Brandywine, Galaxy with something else and White Queen.

Marcia

This message was edited Aug 26, 2012 7:11 PM

Dale - That's Florida Blizzard. Here's a picture of some of mine

Bill, I have put Florida Blizzard on my 'got to have it' list for next spring. Thanks for the ID.

Question: I neglected to plant all of the bulbs I ordered from Bill this year--will they still be good next year?

You can look a the bulb to see if it has life as the eye. You can also start them indoors in containers. I bring my indoors before it gets cold. They go into dormancy when they are ready, and I always keep them lightly watered. They start growing when they feel like it. I planted most of my bulbs indoors March or April.

Highly unlikely KY Woods.

KY Woods- I'm going to have to agree with Dale. The chances of the bulbs being viable next Spring is slim to none and slim just left town

Sorry!!

No one knows better than Bill!

Bill really is the best. In the past, before I found Bill here at DG, I bought at the big box stores and they are no comparison for what he sells.

The caladium shown on the step with the scissors is the one I didn't get from Bill (years ago). The others are from Bill. What a difference!

"slim just left town" LOL Maybe I'll plant 'em indoors and see what happens...it couldn't hurt anything, right? I am so mad at myself!

I loved that line, too, Ky!

Ky, It definitely can't hurt to try!!!

You guys have no idea how much I appreciate the kind words!! I take A LOT of pride in what I do. Talking to my customers on the phone is the best part of my job!!
I don't care how trivial a question may seem, if you don't know, Call Me!!! The day I know everything about caladiums is the day I'll be pushing up caladiums. The heck with daisies...lol...
If I don't know the answer to a question which is very rare I definitely have the resources to find out!!!

Bill

All the caladiums fantastic. I love how they have been used in the landscape and pots. I only have a few that I got from Bill this spring. It seemed forever for them to come up, but it has been worth it.

Bill, My Caladiums that I got from you are beautiful. I have a question about saving the bulbs. Can I bring the whole pot into an area that doesn't freeze and just leave them in the pot? If not, what is the best way to preserve them through the winter. I am just loving them.

This message was edited Sep 23, 2012 4:54 PM

You deserve the praise, Bill, because you sell a quality far superior to any others.

The very best piece of advice you ever gave me was..."All caladiums can take shade". I was leery at the time of planting some in a corner of totally dead shade. You encouraged me and the rest is history.

#1 Planted them 5/19.
#2 8/12 growing well.
#3 8/12 showing the earliest morning light and it still does not reach the dead shade in the corner.
#4 They mingled beautifully with the hosta plantaginea and they're still going strong.
#5 At the base of clematis Dr. Ruppel to hide his ugly legs!

In January I ordered 10 packages from you and next January I'll probably order more.

The ease of growing, no deadheading, fantastic colors and the green and whites are so beautiful, and NO lifting at the end of the season, which goes into November here: all these things make caladium the ideal plant. They are also terrific for hiding the bare legs of clematises!

Wow, Pril. Those are so amazing. Love them.

Thanks. I know I sound like a cheer leader at times but how can I not rave?

Gingerland in my little hosta garden with only early morning sun.
Florida Fantasy with impatiens.
Florida Sweetheart and fuchsia.

MyRee- Planting them in containers is the easiest way to over winter them. The ideal temperature to store caladium bulbs at is between 60-65 degrees.
Any cooler than that for an extended period of time you will run the risk of losing some.

Thanks Bill, That is great.
Pril, you do have the touch, just beautiful.,

Thanks, Marie. Wish I could take the credit but it belongs to Bill's great caladiums.

That is only part of it. There has to be the "touch" of a great gardener.

If that's true I wish she'd come here more often! LOL

MyRee, I have had very good luck bringing the entire container indoors. They usually still have growth when I bring them in. I keep them in my office for the winter and give them light when they have foliage. The office never goes below 60 degrees. They get both sunlight from a window and fluorescent bulbs. Once the leaves die down, I put them on the floor and keep watering them lightly. About 2-3 months later when they start their new cycle of growth, I give them more light. When it starts to get warm during the day, I take them outside and bring them in at night. Sometimes they get too large to come in at night and spend the night in the car. My neighbors know I am strange....

When the new order arrives, I start them indoors. Bill is fabulous about knowing the ship temperatures, among other things.

This message was edited Sep 23, 2012 10:25 PM

Thanks for the info. My neighbors also know that I am a nut for flowers - very strange indeed. They will really get a treat when I start removing rock and redoing parts of the yard this fall. I get things in my head and just can't stop myself . I am not as young anymore, so the rocks may have to get smaller.

I'm going through that now, Marie, and slate is so much heavier than it was 24 years ago! Big rocks have changed to large stones now.

Our high for the day was 66 but I was still sweating.

Beautiful plants, pirl and Bill!

Thanks, Ky. They've been so spectacular this year and White Christmas & Stardust have outdone themselves.

#1 Stardust

#2 White Christmas

I told my son what I want to do, He just smiled. He was out in the yard today, smelling the flowers. He does enjoy them, but with his back problems he is able to just look. Occasionally I do get him to till for me.

Removing rocks is a major job and not one for those without a strong back and a determination to get the job done. Be sure to take before and after photos along with photos of the pile of rocks. How I wish I had them! (Just the rocks, not the job!)

I can send you all the rocks you want, pirl...for postage. *ducking and running*

You better duck and run! If we want big rocks we have to pay for them.

I hope I can complete the job like I want to. I am excited about it. I want beautiful colors next year.

Recently I heard someone on radio speak about "How to be Productive" and it was suggested:


Stop multi tasking. It makes you dumber than being on drugs.

Be militant about eliminating distractions.

Work in 60 - 90 minute intervals.

To do list - break it down into smaller tasks


I've been taking the advice and it does work. Good luck!

It was suggested that I try my post on this thread, so here goes. (Thanks, cathy166; I've learned a lot from the 2 threads you recommended, and hope to get more input.)

I dug up my caladiums (maybe too late for one of the plants) and I'm planning to store them for the winter. I have about 10 different varieties, but I've lost the markers to 4 of them. When I checked several different websites and Google images, I couldn't find close-enough matches to accurately label them before storage. These 4 could even be hybrids of the ones I already have identified. The color of #2 may not be true since it looks as though a cold night nipped the foliage. (I uploaded the photos in order, but they seem to have a mind of their own.) Thanks for looking and for suggesting possibilities.