With
our record breaking heat-wave, this is the year for tropical plants to strut their stuff. Soaring temperatures and high humidity might slow us down, but they are just what the doctor ordered for the likes of canna, banana, caladium, passion flowers, and taro.
I sat at the kitchen window and watched the rain on Sunday afternoon — the first good rain in ages — I could just about see my cannas, elephant ears and ornamental grasses grow as the raindrops soaked the parched ground. While everything in the garden perked up, these tropical beauties seemed to soak up water and and then stretch themselves in the steamy air
ink you need full sun to grow tropicals? Caladium bicolor (Caladium x hortulanum) is a shade-loving tropical with intricately patterned, colourful leaves. Affectionately known as Angel Wings, Fancy-leaved Caladium, and Elephant Ears, this beauty is truly a show stopper!
Like blowzy pink and white crepe-paper hearts, caladiums decorate the garden in mottled shades of hot-pink, cerise and crisp white, each leaf has just a smattering of green. Paper thin, colourful and translucent, the leaves can reach an impressive 30 cm in length and are embossed with distinctive veining. Caladiums are as cool and pretty as a summer dress — let them brighten up the deeply shady corners of your garden or patio.
I’ve photographed caladiums in public and private gardens from the Eastern U.S. seaboard to steamy Dallas, Texas, but I had never tried growing them at home. Caladiums are grown from small, flat, dark brown tubers — when I opened my sample packet, they didn’t look very promising, and it was hard to tell which way should be up or down. Luckily, they are pretty forgiving.
In early June, I filled a wide, 60-cm deep clay planter with fresh potting soil, and spaced the whole packet of tubers evenly across the top of planter, tucking them in about 2.5 cm below the soil. I watered the soil deeply and set it beside the window in my little greenhouse. I kept the soil moist, but after several weeks there still wasn’t a sign of life; I started to think that the tubers were just too old and shriveled to grow. If they didn’t grow, I would just plant something else in the container, and that could wait for now.
A few weeks later, my fouryear old granddaughter, Penelope, and I were planting a few extra zinnias in the greenhouse, “Grandma, look at the funny red stems,” she mused. The caladiums had magically sprung to life - and boy did they ever grow quickly once they’d sprouted! Within a week or two, the pot was filled with cheerful pink, white and red spear-shaped leaves. Impressed, I lugged the planter out to my deck, so that I could enjoy the colourful foliage.
Just like your favourite summer dress, caladiums need a little extra care to look their best. First of all, caladiums dislike the cold, they demand temperatures above 21°C. to grow. Secondly, you must keep them watered and fed. Third, they love shade.
Once the soil has warmed up, plant the tubers directly in the garden (prepare a spot with deep, humus rich soil, try to avoid areas with shallow tree roots) or set the tubers in deep containers, allowing plenty of room for the roots to stretch out. Caladiums are shade lovers — plant them in light, filtered shade to prevent the leaves from scorching. They will be happy to brighten a deeply shaded corner of your garden or patio, if you give them a chance. Tuck a few large pots of caladium among shade tolerant ground covers like periwinkle, ivy or sweet woodruff, to brighten up a shady spot in the garden.
Never allow the soil to dry out — beware of thirsty tree roots in shaded garden beds. Caladiums are also available as potted plants from local garden centres, or you can buy the tubers in the spring from vendors who sell summer flowering bulbs such as lilies and gladiolus.
Feed caladiums weekly with liquid fertilizer, once the foliage starts to develop. Caladiums have insignificant flowers — remove them as soon as they form — the flowers encourage the tubers to go dormant.
In the autumn, the first frost will kill the foliage. Remove the blackened leaves, dig up the tubers and store them for the winter in slightly moist peat moss or sawdust in your cold cellar. Container-grown caladiums don’t need to be uprooted in the fall, just cut off the dead leaves, clean up the container and store it in a cool, dark place over the winter. All in all, I’m very pleased with the results. The caladiums continue to fill in and despite the hot weather, I have yet to see them wilt or look tired. Their lush growth and cheerful colours really brighten up the garden — they’ve more than earned their keep.