Caladium Fire chief Caladium is a unique addition to any garden! Gorgeous heart-shaped leaves are deep green with vibrant pink veins and cream-colored centers. A hybrid of the popular Christmas and Red Flash varieties, this Caladium is easy to grow in outdoor containers, or even inside next to a sunny window. (Caladium)

These hardy plants just need a little warm soil and some occasional watering and fertilizer to provide vibrant colors all season long.

• • Caladiums like well drained soil. 
    If the area puddles after a good rain, you might want to look elsewhere to plant your bulbs. “Mound” an area for better drainage. Keep the newly planted bulbs moist – not soggy.
    

  • Shade is Good!
    Where most plants don’t tolerate shade very well – caladiums love shady areas! When your favorite flower will bloom for a week or two, caladiums will provide wonderful leaf color and texture all summer. White varieties like White Christmas, Moonlight or Candidum put on an outstanding show all season long in shady areas.
    

  • Sun tolerant caladium tips.  Some caladiums tolerate full sun (6-8 hours of sun); see reference on each variety in the description.  Caladiums planted in full sun generally require more watering, the length of exposure to sunlight is the determining factor.  All of our varieties are grown in full sun on our central Florida farms.  Overexposure results in holes with brown edges in leaves between the main veins.
    As a general rule, caladiums grown in the sun show more color than they would in the shade. Watering caladiums early in the am or late in the pm helps eliminate sun burn.
    

  • When should I plant my bulbs?
    Bulbs should be planted in the landscape in the march month or when day low is above 28C   however temperatures can vary in specific locales and from year to year therefore nothing substitutes for local knowledge.  Generally, plant your bulbs with the soil temperatures warm to 28 to 35C. If you are planting caladiums in northern climes, you can start the bulbs earlier in a warm, moist (not soggy) place inside and give them a head start (see the interesting tip from Ed Groff at the bottom of this page).
    

• How do I plant my bulbs?
   Plant right side up.  Caladium bulbs have a rather smooth bottom side and knobby (these are actually the eyes or growing points) top side.  Though they will grow no matter which way you orient them, planting with the top side up will provide you with the shortest sprouting time and the happiest plant.
  Planting depth.  Your bulbs should be planted deep enough to cover them with 1 ½” to 2” of soil.  A bit of bone meal would make your caladiums happy.  Water after planting.  Mulching helps preserve soil moisture and provides some weed control.
     Bulb Spacing.  In your landscape, evenly space 4 each #2 bulbs, or 2 each #1 bulbs or 1 each Jumbo bulb per square foot  By multiplying the length by the width of your planting area you will know approximately how many bulbs to order.  For instance, if you have a 2 ft. by 10 ft. planting area you should multiply 2 X 10 = 20 sq ft and order accordingly; 4 X 20 = 80 #2 bulbs or 2 X 20 = 40 #1 bulbs OR 1 X 20 = 20 Jumbo bulbs.  .  You would use similar spacing in a patio container.