To enjoy caladiums as perennials, use these tips to protect them from cold temperatures.
Caladiums are stunning tropical plants with colorful leaves that brighten up shadier areas in your garden.
Butare caladiums perennialsthat grow back every year after the winter?
Credit:Bob Stefko
Or will you should probably buy new plants to replace them in the spring?
Here’s what you oughta know to get the most out of your caladiums and keep them growing yearly.
However, newer varieties can take some direct sunlight, especially in more northern areas.
Credit: Laurie Black
What Are Caladiums?
Anything cold enough to warrant a coat for you is generally too chilly for them.
However, dont despair.
Caladiums can be grown as annuals and houseplants or planted outside and dug up each year likedahlias.
Caladiums grow from a bulb (technically called a tuberous corm).
When purchasing, you may notice different bulbs of different sizes.
Larger bulbs, therefore, command a higher price.
Bags of caladium bulbs from a big box store are likely smaller bulbs.
Theyll still grow; they just wont make as much foliage.
However, smallerbulbs can be plantedcloser together to create a fuller effect.
Most caladiums grown in gardens are cultivars ofCaladium bicolor, and there are hundreds to choose from.
Other plants, such as alocasias, also go by those common names.
Then, they buy new caladiums to plant the following year.
Just be sure to dig up your caladiums beforeyour area’s first fall frost.
In spring, move the pot outside once all danger of frost has passed.
Northern gardeners may want to start their caladiums indoors to get a head start on the season.
Aplant moisture metercan help you avoid over- or under-watering your flowers and vegetables.
Recycle your food scraps and use them to fertilize your plants with acompost binthat fits your needs.
Although caladiums are deer-resistant, they certainly aren’t deer-proof.
Some gardeners report that deer walk right by their caladiums, while others have choice words on the subject.
It is rare for a caladium grown as an ornamental to bloom, but it does happen.
