Caladiums

This week is all about the caladiums I've used in the containers.  Don't do many caladiums mainly because there aren't very many containers left that have enough tree shade.  Sadly, a lot of our beautiful, old trees have had to be cut down due to disease or the danger of aging limbs falling.  New ones have been planted but it will be years before serious shade will be available.

Caladiums offer so much in color and texture that they should be considered for any shade container.  I do have my favorites though.  Here are the ones I placed this year.

This might be my favorite - at least this year.  Gingerland has a crisp, clean look about it.  I really like the splash of red which makes it easy to combine with other reds.  For this container though I opted to do mostly whites.  This container is one of the few that are in shade most of the day with just a bit of morning sun.  The companion plants are Angelonia Serena White, and Torenia Summer Wave White. 

When you start with a totally white caladium you have a wide range of colors you can combine with it, but I decided to do an all white for this container.  It gets some sun but not enough to burn the caladium and just enough for the companion plants that tolerate the sun to thrive.  This caladium is Moonlight with Vinca Cora White and Scaevola Surdiva White as the trailer.  I have scaevola in other containers with more sun and it is very vigorous there - needing to prune it back a bit to allow for the uprights to fill in.  But once the uprights are strong, the scaevola seems to mind its manners and stay in its place.

Okay, you are going to question the name of this one - White Queen.  What's with the strong red?  Don't know - I wasn't in the room when they named this one.  But it is pretty.  A little harder to combine with other strong colors.  Penta Butterfly White is the filler with Carex Evergold grass around it.  The grass is a hold over from the winter containers.  The spiller is Torenia Summer Wave Gold.  The torenia is a combination of gold and purple which is a strong statement against the red and white of the caladium but it does pick up the gold from the strong yellow of the grass and is far enough away from the red that it isn't offensive.

Last but definitely not least is Miss Muffett.  The spots on this one are not quite red, more of a deep burgundy with a flush of rose running around the leaves.  And that made Vinca Cora Punch and Supertunia Misty Lilac combine very nicely.  The petunias I used this year were very happy with the cooler weather and healthy rains resulting in vigorous growth, so early pruning was called for to keep them off of the companion plants until they grew large enough to compete.  Not complaining - happy when plants grow!!!

Caladiums are great container plants - just remember not to over water them.