My dear friend & neighbor Doris, who recently moved from next door to me to Irving, had Caladiums years ago in San Antonio.
Can she grow them in Irving without having to bring them in over the winter? Her mobility is poor, so digging them up every year isn't a good option.
I know some of them are too tender, but was hoping for recommendations for hardier varieties, if such a thing exists.
Or should she just stick to hostas, etc for her partly to mostly shady yard? We'd appreciate any recommendations!
Thanks!!
Caladiums hardy in Irving area?
Caladiums are known to overwinter outdoors only in the very warmest parts of the state such as the Rio Grande Valley. They do, however, have a natural tendency to go dormant. If she planted them in containers she could have someone move them inside for her and she could try letting them "sleep" just as they were planted. I do that with my colocasias (elephant ears) which have similar growth needs. This past winter I left a couple of the planters out all winter and they were hurt by the freezes but have started coming back. Here is a little more on caladiums - http://www.gardenersnet.com/bulbs/caladium.htm
Yuska
thanks, Yuska! That was just the information I needed!
I am only 20 minutes from Irving and caladiums are not hardy at my house.
Well, that settles it then. Doris will have to make do with hostas! I think there are other possibilities like Hardy Cyclamens or Hardy Gloxinias that she couldn't grow next door in zone 6 but will be able to grow in Irving, so she'll have plenty of fun options. She's putting in a couple of hydrangeas this week.... :-)
They are treated as annual bulbs in North Texas where Irving is located.
Nope.......they croak. Or, as I found one spring, after I'd decided that they WOULD overwinter (as IF I'm so powerful), they turn to absolute disgusting mush, right in your hands...........=(
MKJ, just 15 minutes west of Irving
I know what you mean, MKJ. Sometimes when I am planting in the early spring I dig into white mush (like a marshmellow) that used to be a caladium bulb. Yuck!
Sounds like the Elephant Ear bulbs I planted last year - they were definitely yuck this year as I turned my dirt!
So, when do we stick 'um inna ground?
May 1st.
Or if you're me, you get impatient and put them in the ground on April 2. :)
Actually, I put a package of 6 in a big container with one of my elephant ear bulbs (colocasias) and the impatiens (fitting name for the mood I was in) I over wintered inside. I put my other EEs (3 of the black ones that had a different Latin name) in my shade bed but did not put in caladiums in the ground. And Terrie, I put blood meal all over the place to keep the squirrels away! :)
I know I keep saying this, but Park's sent my EE bulbs really early and told me it was ok to plant them when I called to ask. But I still waited like 3 more weeks. Also, the info on their website and in the catalog said the green ones I got (colocasias) were ok to leave out over winter and even said they sustained 0 degree weather and still came back up. Park's is in South Carolina. Anyway, the actual instructions that came with the bulbs said to pull them up a couple of weeks before it gets cold and let them dry and store them in 50 degree temps. So which is it? I just treat Caladiums as annuals since I can get 6 bulbs for $3 but EEs are a bit more pricey!
It isn't worth it to me to dig and try to overwinter caladiums. I pulled mine up, cut them down to bulbs and shipped them to Julie_88 last fall. EEs are hit and miss for me. I have had one pot that has come back three years and multiplied every year. Out of the two I planted in the ground a couple of years ago, one came back. I am waiting to see which ones come back for me this year but they are always late.
Caladiums like you to wait until overnight temps are consistantly in the 60's or above (they told me so ;-) ). I didn't bother digging them up the one year I planted them (I'm planting again this year, the "new" backyard is finally ready for them), and a few came back the next year, but MUCH diminished from the yr before.
I can't get rid of the EE's though, no matter what I do to them!
Wow, now I'm wondering how Doris managed to keep caladiums going from year to year in San Antonio! She said they had a big bed of them around a couple of the trees in their front yard. I grew & planted coleus seedlings for her while she was next door, but I'm sure it wasn't nearly the same thing! She's fun, though, because she's absolutely delighted by every little leaf & bloom.
Critterologist, maybe she never had a freeze?
I wish Doris was nearby, sounds like she would be a neat person to visit with from time to time.
She's one of the sweetest people I've ever met! And she's really on her own right now, as her daughter has been working on assignment out of state ever since they moved and gets home maybe one weekend a month. Her SIL's job is based in Atlanta now, so she sees him even less often. Fortunately, her other daughter lives a couple hours away, so they get in some weekend visits, but most of the time it's just her and her daughter's 4 rather spoiled/needy dachunds. She always puts the best light on things when I talk to her, but she's far from reclusive by nature, so I worry.
She can't drive, so she applied for the city transportation service & was accepted, and I thought, great, now she can get out to the senior center, maybe even take a computer class since she's just dying to "be online".... Unfortunately, they live in a gated community, which won't let a bus through, and the city won't guarantee that they'll send a van! Catch-22 there.
So, I wish you lived closer to her too, Maggie! For anyone who is in the area, I'll bet she would absolutely love to have you stop by sometime! I've been telling her about all my new gardening buddies at DG.... :-)
Man, I wish gas wasn't so expensive. I'd take a trip to the DFW area to visit some DG folks and look in on Doris, too. If I get up that way, I'll let you know.
**I wish Doris was nearby** --- ditto that, Maggiemoo. Critterologist, some senior centers have informal shuttle systems staffed by volunteers. She should also appeal the ruling against the city transit system...that rigid attitude may well be a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. We need to get her online asap!
One bright spot: the gated communities tend to be something of microclimates. They're nearly always walled and tend to resist the winds a bit more. Depending where her property is within it, the temps maybe moderated by a few degrees.
I'm going to get in touch with the senior center myself. Their web site mentions a van service, but when Doris called the number they gave her, they referred her to the city system. I'm not sure there's much room for appeal, as they granted her request for access (although getting her card took forever, as the process had a number of steps including a couple of in-person things.... yes, we'll arrange for you to be on our tranport system, but we can't give you a ride over to our office... another catch-22 for her), it's just that she only has a 50/50 chance of getting the van rather than the bus, and only the van works for her, so she can't be sure of getting anywhere.
Maybe she can try one of those instruction books (there must be an Internet for Dummies or the equivalent for beginners) in leui of a class. Her kids just aren't around enough to teach her. Her young grandaughter is willing, but her method of instruction is, "look, it's like this....click...click.. click.. zoom.... click... click... there!" and Doris needs something more step by step than that. I'm hoping I'll be able to get down there for a visit, as I was sucessful in getting another older friend in FL online with a crash course during a visit.... We'll find a way!
You're right about the wall -- there's one running along the back of their yard -- I think there's a highway on the other side. That's one of the sunnier areas in her yard (which has a lot of shade), so we were thinking that it might be a good area to put in a little bed for roses..... There are a couple of hybrid teas (?) there now that are doing fine. She's working on upgrading the front beds this spring (she has a landscape guy who is very helpful but has an erratic schedule), and next year she's thinking maybe a little quarter-circle bed in each back corner, a nalf-circle bed at some point along the wall, and in the future those could be connected up with a little border bed running along the entire wall. She has a lot of fun planning, even if she has to do things in small steps!
One more thought on the computer aspect...most of the gated communities are HOAs - Home Owner Associations. My area is not gated but there is an active HOA with a newsletter, website, etc. The editor knows just about everyone and might know of someone willing to help a novice get started. Also, the public school system has extensive adult education classes, and the instructors might know of students willing to stop by for another student.
For health reasons, I'm no longer driving either. I use the largest of the taxi companies here and have a great deal of flexibility. The service is excellent and very prompt. If I needed to go somewhere every day it would be expensive, but as it is my costs are running less than I was paying for car insurance.
Yes, planning is fun! And having to wait a bit to carry out our plans really is a plus...so often refinements will occur to us that we might otherwise think about - too late!