🎨 Caladium
Caladium bicolor
Shade's graffiti artist — leaves louder than most flowers.
Sun
Part to full shade
Days to harvest
Tubers sprout in 2–4 weeks in warm soil
Spacing
8–12 inches apart
Soil pH
5.5–6.5
How to grow
Plant tubers knobby-side up in spring only after soil hits 70°F — cold soil rots them, no exceptions. Florida is caladium heaven (most commercial tubers are grown around Lake Placid, FL). Rich, moist, well-drained soil and they're showstoppers until fall.
Water & feeding
Keep consistently moist; they wilt dramatically when dry but recover fast. Never let tubers sit in standing water.
Common problems
- Tuber rot in cold or soggy soil
- Tuber theft by squirrels (they're not even edible — squirrels are just jerks)
- Leaf burn in too much direct sun
Harvest
No deadheading needed — remove ratty leaves at the base. Dig tubers in fall before frost (north of zone 9), cure, and store dry at 60°F+ for replanting.
Nerdy fact: Caladium leaves get their wild patterns from air pockets between cell layers that scatter light — the white areas are literally tiny mirrors. It's structural color, like a butterfly wing.