A Middle of the Garden Season Caladium Planting Solution

Everyone has had the problem of a section of plants dying or lettuce’s bolting or a group of ravenous insects attacking the garden and you have had to pull the plants out. This leaves a remarkably ugly blank spot in the garden beds, but it is too late in the season to plant anything that might be a long-term grower. Usually, I throw in the “leftover plants” from some other area of the garden or perhaps plant some cool-season vegetable seeds. Last season I discovered a creative planting solution using caladiums that turned out remarkably well.

The problem: a super ugly perennial zone that needed some love and attention. Perennials were not performing well and grew poorly through the season (see below). Oh, a whim and because I happened to have some product to test, I threw in caladium bulbs. Caladiums are tubers and are grown as annuals in the north because they are only hardy to zone 9.

How to Plant A Caladium

1. Amend the soil — my first problem is that the perennials in this area are not doing well because the soil is compacted and has not been refreshed. I dug out all the old perennials and added fresh soil – I chose Organic Mechanics Potting Soil. I also mixed in some compost from my compost bins. Caladiums prefer well-drained, fertile soil.
2. Choose organic fertilizer — I just happened to have a bag of Jobe’s Organic for shrubs. Why not? I threw a few of the spikes in randomly throughout the bed.
3. Find a caladium to plant — The Marlboro Bulb Company had sent out several boxes of bulbs for me to test, but I did not receive them until mid-summer. I threw them into the ground not knowing what to expect or if the plants would even develop before the first frost. Varieties included Jack’s Giant Caladium, Florida Sweet Heart (pink), Florida Elise (spotty green), Frieda Hemple (bold red).
4. Plant the right direction — Plant tubers about 2″ deep and 8″ apart. Search for the side that has the most “eyes” and plant the eyes facing up.
5. Save the tubers — After the first frost, dig the tubers up and over-winter them in some saw dust in a cool, dark, location. Plant again in spring.

Caladiums prefer partial sun but will do well in many shade conditions if it is a hot season. July and August qualify as hot and these grew fantastically in mostly full shade. This planting project turned out to be a lovely solution for a tough garden area and filled out beautifully, growing all the way into October with vigor.

Below you see a series of photos of the area with caladiums growing happily in the garden. In the top photo below you see the container pyramid and a tall Alocasia behind Sweet Potato Vine South of the Border™ Chipotle I tested in the garden for Hort Couture Plants. Below you see all the caladiums loving the full shade, hot summer situation in the back garden.