by Ryan Rychetsky - Brazos County Master Gardener

Vivid colors.  Attractive foliage.  Easily grown.  Such is the description of a favorite cultivar for the landscape: the caladium.  The caladium, also known as Angel Wings or Heart of Jesus, is a genus of flowering plants in the family, Araceae, and include seven species and over 1000 named cultivars of the Caladium bicolor, the original South American plant. Cultivated in Europe since the 1700s, there are two forms most widely cultivated. "Fancy leaved" cultivars are more commonly seen and are the traditional caladium, with a more "heart-shaped" leaf.  "Lance-leaved" plants display a more lanceolate leaf.  The leaves average 12 to 24 inches long on a stalk of similar length. They grow from tubers and can be propagated by dividing.  Grow them in indirect light with temperatures of at least 65-75 º F, and high humidity. The splendor of this plant is in the leaves.  Pink, red, white and green pair to display the bicolor foliage so desired in this cultivar.  The good news for those of us who don’t have shade in which to grow this wonderful plant is that there are sun-tolerant varieties now in cultivation.

Caladiums are easy to grow.  Plant when soil temperature is 60 º F and maintain adequate soil moisture for a dramatic mass display.  They like a minimum summer temperature of 75 º F and a minimum winter temperature of 55 º F.  For Brazos County they may be treated as an annual and left in the garden.  However it’s easy to save the caladium tubers for planting again the following year.  Dig up the tubers before the soil temperatures drop below 55 º F.  If you don’t know what your soil temperature is another way to tell it’s time to dig is when the leaves begin to droop and fade with the cool fall nights but before they have lost all color.  Don’t trim the leaves off.  Spread the tubers out in an area protected from rain and cold and not in full sun.  A garage or potting shed should work fine.  In about a week the tubers will be dry and you can cut off the dried leaves.  A great way to store them for next year is in a mesh bag that was originally for oranges or onions.  Over winter these treasures where the temperature will not fall below 60 º F.