MEET THE 2024 CALADIUM OF THE YEAR™ – HEART TO HEART® ‘LEMON BLUSH’ CALADIUM
Top 3 reasons to grow Heart to Heart® ‘Lemon Blush’ Caladium
It’s Fun to Try Something New
Stuck in a rut? Try something different this year. We know you are going to love this plant!
It Thrives Under Adversity
Got shade? ‘Lemon Blush’ can take it, even full shade. Worried about deer? They typically pass caladiums right on by. Too hot? This plant won’t even break a sweat!
It’s gorgeous
Good looks should count for something, right? Look how nicely it adds rich color and texture to shade gardens.
You know your favorite plants you buy every year for your shade containers? This is about to become one of them. It’s so distinctive and easy to grow, not to mention it goes with all your other favorite shade plants. Plus, when summer’s heat settles in, this is the plant that will shrug it right off and power on through. We all need more plants like this!
A Beautiful Solution for Shade Gardens
| Sometimes it can be discouraging to garden when you are faced with a lot of shade and deer pressure. Maybe you’ve found a few plants that work, but you are hesitant to try something different for fear you might fail. We’re here to show you a beautiful way forward this year. Just look at the gorgeous heart-shaped leaves of ‘Lemon Blush’ caladium! Caladiums like this light up the garden with their gorgeous variegated foliage, especially in the heat of summer when some other plants start struggling. ‘Lemon Blush’ shrugs it right off and powers on through, bringing cool chartreuse and rosy red color to shaded nooks in the landscape and containers. Once you grow it, we bet it will find a permanent place on your spring shopping list. We all need more easy shade plants like this! |
USES
Pep up your shade garden by poking a few caladiums in among your hostas, or mass a whole bunch in an underused area of your landscape. Their broad, colorful foliage makes a quick and striking impact. Once established, caladiums need only average amounts of water similar to the rest of the plants in your garden. Take care to match the sun/shade preferences of your new caladium to the planting site. Since there are caladium varieties that grow in both sun and shade, it should be easy to find one that fits.
|
Heart to Heart caladiums make unique, bold “thrillers” in container recipes when paired with shorter, mounded to trailing plants. A container filled with lush caladiums is an amazing sight! Try using ‘Lemon Blush’ as part of our Take to Heart recipe in a 14” flower pot. Add one 4” pot of Lemon Coral® Sedum and one more of Heart to Heart® ‘Snow Flurry’ Caladium to round out the recipe. It’s a great, vibrant trio that will liven up those partly shaded areas of your garden.
|
Near the end of the season when outdoor temperatures begin to consistently fall below 60°F, it is time to move your caladium plants indoors if you want to keep them actively growing. It’s possible to continue to grow them as a houseplant for at least a few months until they naturally enter a resting period. Choose a place indoors that receives bright indirect light. Set the pot on a saucer filled with pebbles and water to keep the humidity up around the plant. Caladiums need humidity to thrive, so a bright bathroom might be the perfect spot for them. If you purchase your caladium plant in the fall or winter, do your best to keep it warm until you get home and bring it right inside. Do not let it sit in your cold car for any amount of time. This is similar to how you should treat poinsettias. |
PLANTING
PLANTING YOUR HANGING BASKET OR UPRIGHT CONTAINER
| PLANTING YOUR GARDEN BED
|
HOW TO GROW CALADIUMS
GROWING CALADIUS FROM BULBS You might like to grow caladiums from bulbs rather than buying sprouted caladium plants if you enjoy the experience of growing things from seeds or roots, and you’re not looking for instant impact.
CHOOSING AND RECEIVING YOUR BULBS SIZING: Caladium bulbs are graded into two sizes: #1 and jumbo. Choose the smaller #1 size bulbs if your growing season is long and they will have plenty of time to mature. Choose jumbo bulbs if your growing season is shorter or you want to grow larger plants faster. TIMING: If your caladium bulbs arrive early in the season, open the box and allow the bulbs to breathe. Store them in a well-ventilated area above 65°F. Once the air temperature outdoors is consistently at least 60°F and the soil temperature is at least 65°F, it is safe to plant your caladium bulbs outside. You could start to see foliage emerge from your caladium bulbs in as little as 3 weeks after planting if you start them in the warmer part of the season once the soil temperature rises above 65°F. When starting them earlier in the spring indoors, expect to see foliage in about 6-8 weeks, depending on the variety. After 9 weeks, the plants should be fully leafed out for the season.
PLANTING YOUR BULBS SOIL: Caladiums need well-drained soil to prevent their bulbs from rotting. Use a standard potting mix, like the one you use for growing annuals, when planting your caladium bulbs in containers. WHITE SIDE UP: All Heart to Heart caladium bulbs are painted white on the top. This is to make sure you plant them right side up—a critical step. You should see the white paint as you are sinking them into the soil. PLANTING DEPTH: Sink the bulbs about 1½ to 2″ below the soil surface when planting. This will allow enough room for their roots to grow and won’t delay the emergence of the new leaves. SPACING: Plant your #1 size caladium bulbs about 8-10″ apart, or two bulbs per square foot. If you are using the larger jumbo size bulbs, you’ll only need one per square foot. Spacing them closer together will create a denser planting, especially in areas where the growing season is shorter and they are being grown as annuals.
CARING FOR YOUR CALADIUMS SUNLIGHT: All caladiums grow well in part shade (4-6 hours of sun). However, some varieties can tolerate full sun (6+ hours) in most parts of the country and others can tolerate full shade (<4 hours). The plant label will tell you how much sun the variety you select can handle. WATERING: When you first plant your caladiums, keep the soil moist but not soggy. Keep an eye on those growing in full sun because the soil will dry out more quickly there. Once the plants are rooted in and flourishing in your garden, they will only need average amounts of water. Early morning is the best time to water caladiums. HEAT: Caladiums are tropical plants that love the heat, even in southern climates. Their most active growth occurs during the warmest part of the season. That’s why it is important to wait to put them outside until the air temperatures are consistently at least 60°F and the soil temperature is at least 65°F. Caladiums can get stunted or may even stop growing completely if they are moved outside when it is too cool. FEEDING: Caladiums don’t need as much fertilizer to stay happy compared to “hungry” flowers like petunias. When you plant them, mix some Proven Winners Premium continuous release plant food into the soil. Follow up with our water soluble plant food once per month. PESTS: Caladiums are generally considered to be quite pest and disease resistant. Most problems that occur are the result of overwatering which can cause the bulbs to rot, too much sun or too much fertilizer. Though caladiums are considered to be moderately resistant to deer and rabbit browsing, they may nibble the foliage if there is no other suitable food source nearby. |
GROWING CALADIUS FROM SPROUTED PLANTS If you live where the growing season is relatively short or want plants with instant impact, you may prefer to purchase your caladium as live plant in a container.
CHOOSING AND RECEIVING YOUR BULBS POT SIZE: Sprouted caladium plants are sold in several different sized pots at garden centers. Generally, the larger the pot, the more bulbs it contains and/or the more mature the plants are. If your season is short or if you are looking for instant impact, choose the largest pot of caladiums you can afford. TIMING: If your caladium plants arrive early in the season, open the box and allow them to breathe. Set the plants in a brightly lit space indoors where it is at least 65°F. Once the outdoor air temperatures are consistently at least 60°F and the soil temperature is at least 65°F, it is safe to plant your caladiums outside. If you move them outside too early, the cool temperatures will greatly slow down their growth and delay their flourishing in your garden.
PLANTING YOUR SPROUTED PLANTS
SOIL: Caladiums grow beautifully in containers and in landscapes that have well-drained soil. Use a standard potting mix, like the one you use for growing annuals, when planting your caladium bulbs in containers. If you garden in heavy clay, you’ll want to grow your caladiums in containers or raised beds. PLANTING DEPTH: Like all of your annuals, you will want to plant your sprouted caladium plants at the same depth they were growing in the container. They do not need to be planted any deeper. SPACING: Caladiums generally grow 8-14” wide. If you are planting a mass of them and want them to grow together, space the plants about 8-10” apart. If you prefer to grow them as an accent plant among others in a garden bed, take care not to plant anything too aggressive next to them or they could get smothered early in the season before their growth spurt kicks in.
CARING FOR YOUR CALADIUMS
SUNLIGHT: All caladiums grow well in part shade (4-6 hours of sun). However, some varieties can tolerate full sun (6+ hours) in most parts of the country and others can tolerate full shade (<4 hours). The plant label will tell you how much sun the variety you select can handle. WATERING: When you first plant your caladiums, keep the soil moist but not soggy. Keep an eye on those growing in full sun as they soil will dry out more quickly there. Once the plants are rooted in and flourishing in your garden, they will only need average amounts of water. Early morning is the best time to water caladiums. HEAT: Caladiums are tropical plants that love the heat, even in southern climates. Their most active growth occurs during the warmest part of the season. That’s why it is important to wait to put them outside until the air temperatures are consistently at least 60°F and the soil temperature is at least 65°F. Caladiums can get stunted or may even stop growing completely if they are moved outside when it is too cool. FEEDING: Caladiums don’t need as much fertilizer to stay happy compared to “hungry” flowers like petunias. When you plant them, mix some Proven Winners Premium continuous release plant food into the soil. Follow up with our water soluble plant food once per month. PESTS: Caladiums are generally considered to be quite pest and disease resistant. Most problems that occur are the result of overwatering which can cause the bulbs to rot, too much sun or too much fertilizer. Though caladiums are considered to be moderately resistant to deer and rabbit browsing, they may nibble the foliage if there is no other suitable food source nearby. |
