Bill,
It's more of a mid size in "Thai Sizes" with Thai Beauty being a large. Khun Jin, Humboldtii, and Phudin Pink being true minis. You would then have parichat, siam sushi, and sweet pink fall in the middle. I'm just naming the ones we imported this year.There are plenty of others that fall in the middle and mini classes, with only a couple of larger ones like Thai Beauty. We used to carry more than 20 varieties of them, but we're pretty much the only one bringing them in, and the demand in Japan is huge, so we are now getting their scraps. I'll be meeting with them this summer, and I'm going to get on my knees and beg for some of the other varieties, using my other buying activity from them, as leverage. We'll see.
It's truly a challenge setting customers expectations on these. We say all day long, that these are tiny, and I can't tell you how many times we hear, "Hey! These are really tiny!" They truly are a novelty.
I was on a panel discussion last year that included Terri Bates, with Randy Phypers in attendance. (Locals Bill is probably familiar with, for others reading). Both are suppliers for our wholesale brokering company, and had expressed deep concern when we initially started importing them several years ago. When they saw that they were more of a novelty, than landscape material, their fears quickly vanished. Even as their prices come down (remember $15-$20 for a single Thai Beauty bulb, now under $1 wholesale in bulk), they'll never take even a miniscule portion of the landscape market from the domestic varieties. You'd have to plant 100 Thai bulbs in the same area you'd plant a half dozen domestics.
With landscape usage being the meat and potatoes of the Caladium industry, and container usage being icing on the cake, I think the Thai ones fall into the category of colored sprinkles on top of the cake.
Chris
Which Caladiums do you have planted this year?
Everything red ...including the dragonfly. -- can you find him?
Most of these are named here on the thread
This message was edited Jun 6, 2006 11:56 AM
In front yard, alot of sun.
Thai?
The deck caladiums..when I bought the bulbs--I mixed them all up...for names that is.
The center ones were resqued from work. The security guard knows I am a plant lover, so whe motioned me over and asked- ya want some plants? Who of us would say no!? She took me up to the 45th floor (downtown) opened up this empty office - litterally wall to wall caladiums...I couldn't believe it. I stuffed as many as I could carry in a huge box. They were throwing them out! They were from several down town buildings from the property site. - these are just some of the lucky ones that found there way to a loving plant home..:)
Rj
Chris,
I know most of the growers around here, I don't deal with Bate's but I do know a couple of the Phyper boys pretty good.
The Thai's are a nice addition to my collection! Thanks!!
TTYL,
Bill
Rj,
Nice pictures!! The 3rd pic "looks like" Red Frill(I'm pretty sure it is), it's definitely not a Thai variety though. The 2nd pic looks like Pink Cloud, I'm a little surprised it's doing so well in full sun, Good 4 u!! That is a sharp looking leaf, all mine are planted in the shade. I'll post a pic later on
Bill
Merae,
I usually put 3-4 #1 bulbs or 6-8 #2's in a 10" pot. I like them fuller, my beds are really thick. I'll get a couple pics posted of some Pink Cloud and Miss Muffet beds I have, they are really nice!!
The hanging basket of FL Sweetheart has about 18 #2 bulbs in it.
Bill
rjudd - I've never seen a red dragonfly before!!!! Do you know the species name?
Sorry guys, not trying to hijack, just have to know!
CJ
Cool..thanks for the names..Red frill..thanks-
check this out- I have been lighting the garden up with LED spot lights...which are perfect for gardens because they don't emit heat. I back lit the red caladiums that are pictured in the first picture I posted with a red spot light. They look awsome- picture of course doesn't really capture how nice it looks in person.
Let me do some checking..I might have it written down.. He is sixth generation from the pond. Rufus the 6th..haha-- I will keep this short for caladium focus...but here is a link to the picture of one as a larvae..spending the aquatic part of his life in the pond.
http://davesgarden.com/journal/ed/viewimage.php?did=8766
Here's my bed of Pink Cloud with a few straglers mixed in.
Another view of the same bed, my wife planted a bunch of different varieties in with the Pink Cloud, looks pretty nice. Some of the leaves are HUGE!!
Here's a bed of Miss Muffet and a few straglers around an Oak on the side of my driveway.
Some mixed variieties I have planted next to the walkway on the side of the house.
A few pots I have growing next to DW's Orchids
Here's my DW's pride and joy, she's the orchid queen and I'm the Caladium King....lolol... I have to admit, it is a pretty orchid.
I love the caladiums planted in mass like that ..beautiful..
and the orchid....quite something. the blooms look huge.
WOW! To both of you!!! And what kind of orchid is that, pray tell?
Fantastic! What great colors! It inspires me to get more,lol, but I don't have half of what I already own even planted yet! :)
My only caladium contribution...'White Wing'
Bill thanks for posting your pink cloud and ms. muffet beds. They look really nice. Your DW has a green thumb too, she has one pretty orchid there.
Debbie-your white wings look really nice too.
Hi y'all... new to this forum... but I'll show y'all my Wal-Mart hodge-podge planter... this is the FIRST time I've EVER planted them... so tell me ... how damp do they like to live?? what about drainage??
ok... how 'bout the picture that is actually IN FOCUS... boy, see what happens when I get in a hurry...
and of course.... in true Wal-Mart fashion... no labels on ANY of these babies....
Shoobnanny,
It looks like you have a few varieties in the planter. The white ones with the thicker green veins are White Christmas, it looks like you might have some Candidum(the white one w/ the thin green veins), I see some Fannie Munson, the pink ones that have a little green still in them will turn almost completely pink, it also looks like there might be John Peed(the one w/ the red center) and it also looks like there's a couple Red Flash in there. The one in the front middle with the red veins is a little hard to tell right now, post another picture in a couple weeks after the plants have matured a little bit and I'll be able to tell you what it is.
Bill
P.S. Buying bulbs from Walmart :( there are plenty of places to get them a lot nicer and fresher then the ones you get there!
Thanks Mr. Bill--
Actually ... I don't do well with bulbs, I found all these potted up ready and waiting for me.... HA!!! What about watering... and drainage... that planter has about a 1/2" hole in the bottom... is that too much drainage??
and hey Mr. Bill, isn't Lake Placid THE caladium capitol of the world?? Are there books on the subject of caring for them?? I assume since you're in Florida and I'm here in a suburb EAST of Houston--we have similar climates (hot, muggy, humid).... do you just leave the bulbs in the ground when the season is over?? SERIOUSLY, I have NEVER grown these before and couldn't resist the colors (or the challenge)..HA!!
Bill is the guy to answer your questions! (And you can get extremely fat juicy healthy bulbs from him, that are also very inexpensive!) I'm about to list my "Bill" pictures tomorrow.
Shoobnanny, your zone is very similar to ours, so you can leave them in the ground all year, as long as they don't sit in wet soil.
I purchased some Thai Beauty last year and planted them in window box I had planned to add to my irrigation system but hurricane season hit and I never got to it, Anyway they all died or at least disapeared untill last week when we had our first rain and now they are up again.
Amazing patterns and colors
So i guess the bulbs can withstand dry storage here in Z11.
Celt33040.....You can indeed leave your bulbs in the ground year round. They'll pop back up every year when the ground warms up.
The Thai Beauty's are harder to deal with, and smaller bulbs....I have one pot I'm nurturing, but not sure I'll pay for any more of them. I love the big easy to grow caladiums that have huge leaves. It's been very dry all year, and last week, after one rain, I had several of last year's caladiums come up in places I forgot I had them!
thanks y'all.... all this sounds easy enough...if it requires me to babysit the bulbs, forget it... I will make MUSH out of them.... so, do they just die off at the first sign of cool weather?? I bought the plants mainly for color... since alot of my daylilies are NOT rebloomers... last year I was board from all green foliage when they finished blooming... so this will keep me motivated all summer... thanks again..
-Helen
Helen,
Yes, Lake Placid is The Caladium Capital of the World!!
97% of the Caladiums grown commercially come from this area!!
There is a place in town that I'll check out for you to see if they have any books on growing them, Caladiums are hard to kill, as long as the weather is warm and they get watered, they'll grow!!!
You don't have to babysit them at all, to be on the safe side, just mulch over where the bulbs are planted and they'll come up again next year.
Listen to MerryMary....lolol....
Bill
They come back up--usually--here on the west side of Houston.
My mixed planter of dark purple w/ white caladiums....
Red Flash, always one of my favorites!
Carolyn Whortons starting to get tall...I love these because of their size and sun tolerance (even here in Florida)
My White Queens, which I have accepted as pinkish White Queens for this season..... Bill, did your batch get any whiter? Maybe the hurricanes blew in extra natural fertilizers? Still love them anyway...
They are also larger than the others I have had in the past, again, to me, that's also very interesting. The pot shown, has last year's in the back. They are whiter, but smaller. I tucked some of this year's into the front, just for extra filler, and they are pinker, but double the size too. Mother nature, just can't figure her out,lol....
Florida Sweethearts....my all time favorite....how can you NOT love the intense color of these?
