We hit a bump in the road this year due to the tax day rains and the eventual flooding of our offices and growing beds at Bear Creek. At the writing of this blog, we are still in our temporary offices but hope to be back in our home offices soon. We were able to get a caladium trial planted off-site and here are the highlights. The caladiums were planted the first week of June, and evaluated for leaf color, uniformity of habit, resistance to insects and diseases and overall appearance.
Top Shade Performers (Fancy-Leaf Varieties)
Fancy-leaf varieties prefer semi-shade to shade conditions and produce a larger plant with full heart-shaped leaves. They provide a true tropical feel in the landscape.
Caladium ‘Party Punch’
Party Punch – deep pink veins with dark green background, splashes of white provide a nice contrast.
Caladium ‘Summer Breeze’
Summer Breeze – bright pink veins against a white background with green edging, large leaves
Caladium ‘Lemon Blush’
Lemon Blush – rosey-red center bleeds out to a chartreuse green background, the two colors work together well reminding me of a slice of watermelon
Caladium ‘Freckles’
Freckles – large dark green foliage with salmon/terra-cotta throughout the leaf. Some white flecks are also present. A new interesting color.
Caladium ‘Celebration’
Celebration – red veins against a white background with green margins. Plant looks really good during dawn and dusk when light levels are low.
Caladium ‘Pink Splash’
Pink Splash – a cool icey-pink color against a dark green leaf edges and veins.
Caladium ‘Florida Moonlight’
Florida Moonlight – a nice clean green and white with large foliage. Another variety that “pops” at dawn and dusk.
Top Sun Performers (Strap-Leaf Varieties)
Strap-leaf varieties prefer sunny conditions, produce a smaller pointed leaf and are lower growing.
Caladium ‘Scarlet Flame’
Scarlet Flame – deep scarlet red foliage with a dark green edge and white flecking.
Caladium ‘Candyland’
Candyland – pink spots against a white and green background.
Caladium ‘Puppy Love’
Puppy Love – predominately pink with dark pink veins and green edging
Caladium ‘Peppermint’
Peppermint – a true holiday feel with peppermint pink splashing contrasted with white and green.
Caladium ‘Starburst’
Starburst – great growth habit, groundcover-like. A nice pink with the vines becoming white as it matures.
Special thanks to Margaret Cherry from Abbott-Ipco Inc for their donation of caladiums for the trial.