Caladium plants are grown from a bulb, which is ready to produce the large, color-packed leaves gardeners love for their shady garden areas. Caladium seeds take as much as three weeks to germinate, and we find our customers prefer to purchase caladium bulbs instead. Simply pop the bulb in warm spring soil or use potting soil for containers. In just a few days, you will see the sprouts emerge. The tightly furled sprout will continue to grow vertically and then start to unfurl, exposing the brilliant color and pattern of your chosen caladium plant. For even more fun, choose the mixed collection of caladium so each plant is a mystery until it opens. It is all about the leaves with caladium plants. Any flowers are insignificant.
Caladium bulbs are not cold-tolerant so the bulb must be lifted in fall before first frost. If you have grown your caladium in a pot or container, bring it indoors. Caladium makes a great houseplant as well as in the landscape. Most caladium plants need to be grown in partial shade, but they will tolerate a little more sun if grown in the north. However, here at Park Seed, we have a collection of mixed caladium bulbs that will produce caladium plants that have slightly thicker leaves, making them more tolerant of sunny conditions.
Caladium plants are well worth growing in your garden beds, and they will give you years of beauty in your garden.
