6 Tips for Growing Caladiums in Zones 5-7
If you live in the northern half of the U.S., you may think caladiums are only suitable for southern gardens. Not so! The photo above was taken in a zone 6 garden in New Jersey, and we have customers from Pennsylvania to Iowa getting the same great results.
During the summer, most of the country has exactly the type of weather caladiums love: 80-85 degrees and humid. Other plants — including many annuals and perennials — struggle when the weather gets hot, but caladiums flourish. They continue producing fresh new leaves throughout August and right into the fall, so your yard and garden looks great while you’re indoors with the air conditioner on.
If you live in growing zones 5-7, here are a few tips to help you get the most from these easy summer-blooming bulbs.
- Start with large, grade #1 caladium tubers rather than the smaller, #2 or #3 sizes. The bigger the tuber the more stored food energy the plant will have available to fuel its growth. You’ll get more stems per bulb and faster coverage. All Longfield Gardens caladiums are #1 tubers.
- Don’t be too eager to plant your caladium tubers. Wait until the soil temperature is warm — at least 65-70°F. In the central U.S. this is usually around Memorial Day. In northern areas you may need to wait until mid-June.
- To get a quicker display of color, caladium tubers can be pre-sprouted indoors. Start them about 6 weeks before you’ll plant them outdoors. Grow the tubers in barely moist potting soil, under lights or in a sunny window. Keep the plants cozy (70-75°) day and night.
- Caladium tubers are usually planted about 6″ apart. In northern areas, another option is to plant the tubers in groups of 3 spaced a little more closely together. At the start of the season, these clumps have a bigger presence than single plants that are evenly spaced.
- All caladiums prefer partial shade, but there are some varieties that are happy to grow in in full sun — especially in northern areas where the sun’s rays are less intense. The most sun tolerant caladium varieties include: Aaron, Carolyn Whorton, Florida Cardinal, Florida Sweetheart, Red Flash, Rosebud and White Queen.
- Caladiums grow very well in pots and planters — including hanging baskets. Soil temperatures are usually higher in containers, and caladiums appreciate that extra heat. In northern areas where the soil temperature may not reach 70°F until June, planting caladiums in containers gives the tubers a big head start.
To learn more about growing caladiums, read our Growing Guide for Caladiums. You can click here to see our complete selection of caladiums.
I am in zone 8 Williamsburg,Va., can I leave caladium bulbs outside in the winter? Thank you for any suggestions.
Hi Lloyd,
Officially, caladiums are hardy to zone 9. But there are no hard and fast rules. In a protected location with well drained soil and a few inches of mulch, you may find they will overwinter. Hardiness zones are based on averages, and some winters are milder than others. I would definitely give it a try!
Thank you! First time I’ve grown Caladiyms and they did fantastic here in central Oklahoma!! I’m hoping to mulch and let them winter over! What’s a good mulch? Okies_Kid@yahoo.com
Thank you for sharing your knowledge!!
Hi Henri — The purpose of an insulating mulch is to trap air — that’s what provides the insulating value. So you want a mulch that will stay fluffy (not get compacted) and allow moisture to pass through to the soil. That’s why straw makes one of the best winter mulches. Dry leaves also work well, though some types need to be shredded first (like oak and maple). This prevents the leaves from flattening out into a thin, water-shedding pancake. Good luck!
Lloyd,
I would bring them in for the winter, living In VA your winters will be unpredictable ( I loved in RVA for 36 years ) and the bulbs may come back if it is a soft winter but a harsh winter will zap them and one of the best things about these bulbs is that over time they get bigger. I would suggest uprooting them in the fall and placing them in a open tub with soil, they can get cold but not frozen they should be good in the garage in the winter. I Live in Alabama now and I still do that because even thought we are typically warmer cold is still cold. Good Luck
Thank you Katie for that good advice. Gardening is local and the best information always comes from someone who has experience gardening where you do!
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thanks for the link, Karen.
Thank you for sharing your experience & information. 2016 was my first year trying caladiums, & our winter was mild in OK. I’m hoping my potted caladiums, will survive my ignorance. I’m looking forward to trying again with new bulbs. I truly enjoyed the lovely variety of colors under my pear tree.
Hi and thanks for your comment. I bet they looked lovely under your tree. Hope you have good luck again this year!
Thank you for your ideas, tips and experiences.Hola. I live in Arizona, and our temperature in the summer time is sreamly hot. Any recommendations.
Hi Martha – Caladiums are native to South Africa and the ones we sell are grown in Florida, where it is also very hot in the summer. For you to have success growing them in AZ, you will need to plant them in soil that is relatively rich in organic matter water them regularly so the soil stays slightly moist. If you can’t provide those conditions in your garden, you could think about growing them in containers. Also, you may want to start with sun tolerant varieties, as the leaves are less sensitive.
I have a very interesting situation….I came across a caladium tuber from my planter last year (in Chicago) as I was cleaning it out to replant it last week. We are in zone 5, in addition the planter is above ground and not protected from the temperatures dropping as low as zero degrees last winter!
It was not only in great condition, it was sprouting! In my 40 years of gardening this has never occurred. I am watching it closely and its first leaves are about to open….
Hi Jeff – Wow! That is something! Try wintering that tuber with a little more protection next year. Maybe you have something there.
Do you know what variety it is?
I bought Caladium bulbs on closeout at the end of July. Do I need to wait until March of next year to plant. Should I plant in pots and keep in the house until spring. Help. I was so excited to find bulbs on sale, I did not think about planting them. I live in zone 7.
Hi Peggy,
You need to get those bulbs into pots or into your garden right away. There should still be time for them to grow and give you some late season color. The bulbs won’t survive if you try to save them from now until planting time next spring. Good luck!
I planted caladiums in pots for the first time this year. I live in northern Ohio. What should I do with them over the winter? They are beautiful.
Hi Linda – So glad to hear your caladiums have been a success. They are great plants!
If you want to winter over your caladium bulbs, you’ll find information about how to do that right on our website: longfield-gardens.com
Click on the LEARNING tab on the navigation bar, go to summer-planted bulbs and All About. There you will find an article about growing caladiums, with information at the bottom about overwintering the bulbs.
I am living in zone 5 B. This year I planted different color caladiums in containers with the idea I will be taking them indoors during winter season.
I have also grown elephant ears in 18″ plastic containers ( cheap ) which might crack once the plant becomes huge.
Hi Savita. Caladiums are dormant in the winter months, so the foliage will eventually die back in the fall — even if you bring the plants indoors. When that happens, you can let the soil dry out and store the bulbs somewhere out of the way where they won’t freeze. When the weather gets warm again in spring, you can start them back up again as you did this year.
Some types of elephant ears are also dormant during the winter months. If the leaves die back, just treat the plants as you will the caladiums and repot the bulbs in fresh soil next spring. Elephant ears can get very large and you will probably need larger containers for them next spring.
I live in zone 5 (Midwest) and had a great summer garden full of caladium. I think I will dig them up and store them indoors this winter; how soon should I dig them up?
Hi Gina — If you want to try overwintering your caladiums, you can dig up the tubers as soon as the foliage starts yellowing and going limp (which means the tubers are entering dormancy). Leave the foliage attached and lay the plants out to dry in a protected location. When fully dry, gently clean the tubers to remove most soil and foliage, and put them into a mesh bag. Store in a warm, dry place (70°F) and then replant in spring.
Note that if the tubers you dig up are smaller than the ones you planted last spring, it’s probably not worth saving them. Tubers that you purchase fresh are grown in optimum conditions so they’ll be as large as possible and give you the best results.
My supersized caladiums produced many flowers this year. Should I remove them when they developed or leave them alone?
Hi Linda, I asked our in-house caladium expert and he said you can just leave the flowers. No need to remove them.
In a pot on a partially shaded patio do they require a lot of water?
Hi Lorrie — Caladiums need about the same amount of water as most other shade-tolerant container plants. They are much less thirsty than big plants like cannas, hibiscus and elephant ears. Enjoy!
Hello there!
I’m in zone 7a. Will the caladium continue to thrive if I bring the pots inside for the winter, or do they need a rest by digging out the tubers and bringing them in?
Hi Sandra,
Caladiums are dormant during the winter months. Even where the tubers are hardy, the foliage will die back in fall, so you won’t be able to keep them going indoors. For the winter, you can either store the tubers right in the pot, or dig them out and store separately.
Thanks for this very helpful information. We are zone 5 (northern IN) and I am waiting for slightly warmer temps before planting. How much sooner can I put the bulbs in if I am using containers? It is still getting down to the 40s at night here. Just hoping for maximum window for growth. If I were to start them indoors now, can I transplant sooner than 6 weeks? Thank!
Hi Christine – Plant your caladiums in temporary pots right away. That way you can keep them in a cozy place for the next 6 weeks and get them as mature as possible before they go into your outdoor containers. If nights and soil temperatures are anything other than WARM, caladiums simply will not grow. The soil gets warmer in a smaller container and that will help the plants grow as quickly as possible.
I live in Rochester, Michigan 48306 zone5 about 50 minutes north of Detroit. 10 years ago my friend planted Caladium bulbs are they are tall like a short tree and are spreading everywhere. They are green and white with dots and tinged with light pink. What is going on with these.
Hi Diana – the plant you are describing is not a caladium. Caladiums are not winter hardy in zone 5 and even the large ones only grow to a height of 12-18″. Take a sample of the plant (with the leaves) to a local garden center and see if they can identify it for you. If you have an active Master Gardener network in your area they would also be able to help. Good luck!
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I live in Maryland. I bought a white caladium three years ago and planted it in a pot. I had no experience with caladiums. I took the pot indoors in the winter and the leaves died shortly after. I was not too happy but I cut back the leaves and left the pot with dirt sit with plans to use the pot for another plant (not a caladium). I totally ignored the pot of soil. In the spring as I was about to take the pot outside to use it for another plant I was pleasantly surprised to see a leaf sticking its head out from the dirt. I was so excited. I then took the pot out on the deck and lo and behold several leaves popped up in the next few days. It was the most beautiful sight. This exact thing has happened three years in a row. This is a very hardy plant. Very rewarding!
Hi Marcia – Caladiums always die back in the fall — even in climates that don’t get a frost. Letting them die back and storing them indoors until the next spring is exactly the right thing to do. Glad you are enjoying them!
Hi. I live in Colorado zone 5. I’m wondering when I bring them indoors does it need to be my house or is the garage ok?
Hi Gina – Bring the tubers indoors before any danger of frost, or when the soil temperature drops to about 55°F. Usually the plants will start to die back in September, anyway. They should be stored in a cool, dark place at about 60°F, which is warmer than your garage. We recommend treating caladiums as annuals. You will probably find they don’t perform as well the second year. You can find more information here: All About Caladiums.
Thanks for all the information. I am in Zone 6a New Jersey. I bought a few caladium bulbs this year, potted them up and they did great. Took a while for them to sprout but now they are big plants. I want to overwinter the bulbs I have and get some more next spring.
We go South for the winter. Should I take the bulbs with me and keep them in the car or leave them home? Do they need any water/moisture over the winter? If I leave them home, can I put them in the basement? That should be warmer than the garage.
We spend winter in our motorhome on Hilton Head Island SC. Can I plant some of the bulbs I dug up at home and plant them again in November at our RV lot and just mulch them nice with pine hat?
Thanks for any tips!
Hi Karen – So glad you are happy with your caladiums! You can definitely overwinter the bulbs indoors, but we find that in zones 4-7 caladiums usually don’t perform as well the second year. So it’s a good idea to hedge your bets and also plant some new bulbs next spring. Here’s some additional information from our website: All About Caladiums. Scroll down to the aftercare section near the bottom of the article for information about storing the bulbs. Even in places where caladiums are hardy, the plants die back to the ground in the fall and are dormant until spring. So there’s no need to pot the bulbs and bring them with you. You can just leave them in the basement. Good luck!
Hi,
I live in zone 7b (Brooklyn, NY). I purchased my caladium bulbs in bulks from Costco.
I appreciate any growing tips suitable for my area.
I live in an apartment, I was planning to grow them in planters, some as indoor plants and some as outdoor.
Right now the temp is between 44-60.
Please let me know.
Thank you
Hi Bana, You can find information about growing caladiums (including when and where to plant them) on our website under the LEARNING tab. Articles include All About Caladiums and Easy Summer Bulbs for Shady Containers. As you’ll read, it’s too early to plant them outdoors, but if you have room and enough light, you can get them started indoors during April.
Hi,
I received my order from Longfield last week and I am in Western New Jersey. Can I just keep them in the bags until late May for planting outdoors?
Thanks
Hi Karen – Yes, leaving the bulbs in the plastic bags will help them stay hydrated. To get a jump on the season, consider getting the bulbs started now indoors. You can plant them very shallowly in pots or even in a tray filled with moist growing mix. It usually takes them a few weeks to sprout and get going. By doing this indoors, you’ll save time and be able to transplant little caladiums that are already growing. Also, caladiums will not sprout in cold soil, so you’ll get faster growth indoors.
Can I uproot Full Flowering Caladiums from a garden in Florida, and repot in Michigan as long as I put them indoors on my return in May. Will they survive a 1 week trip in the car..if taken out at night. Best way to transplant Is?
Hi Ardie – Honestly, I don’t know if this will work or not, but it seems worth a try. Be aware that caladiums go dormant at the end of the growing season – even in Florida. Dormancy is usually triggered by light, but it is possible that transplant stress could also initiate it. Please report back in a comment as I’d like to know how it goes!
Hi…My caladiums got a touch of frost this spring and I have lost a few leaves but how will this effect the plants for the rest of the growing season?
Hi – Your caladiums should be fine going forward. You can remove the damaged leaves if you wish.
I live in Southwest Florida, Zone 9B 10A. I have grown caladium for years. They do beautifully and come back year after year.
It’s not making sense to me that you are recommending buying new tubers each year. If you can over winter them don’t they make new tubers on their own. I grow things like Dracucunclus and Amorphophallus Konjac and I have to bring them inside or put undercover so they won’t rot and each year I get new “babies” as well as the original tuber. Wouldn’t Caladiums do the same?
Hi Shelley – you can certainly dig up your caladiums and overwinter the tubers indoors. How well this works will depend on how well the plants grew this summer. If they were able to reach their full size, the tubers should have bulked up and will perform well next year. When caladiums are grown in northern areas often don’t reach full size. The tubers wind up being smaller and are disappointing the second year. Treating the tubers as annuals guarantees you’ll be planting fresh tubers that were grown under optimum conditions. Give overwintering them a try and see what works for you.
Hi, I live in Charleston SC,
Can I leave caladium planted outside all year?
When should I cut down the caladium in the fall?
Thank you
Hi – Caladiums are hardy in zones 9 and warmer. Charleston is between zone 8b and 9, so caladiums may overwinter for you. Even in areas where they are hardy, caladiums will die back to the ground in winter. As fall comes, the leaves will begin to wilt and brown. You can cut them back any time after that.
I inherited 2 beautiful pots of caladiums from my aunt. I live in South Louisiana, the cold hit two weeks ago and the bigger plant started turning brown on one side. I moved them to the back patio… what can I do to keep them from dying completely?
Hi Leisa – It is normal for caladiums to go dormant in the winter. You can let them die back naturally. Stop watering, put them in a cool place and let them rest. When spring comes, you can replant the tubers outdoors in the ground or in pots. Good luck!
I planted my Caladiums a few weeks ago and they still haven’t begun to grow. I just wondered if I planted them wrong? Or the wrong time of year. Help!!
Hi – Caladiums are tropical plants and they will not grow if the soil or air temperature is cool. If you live in the northern half of the country, it’s best to get them started in pots indoors where you can keep them as warm as possible. If you are growing more than a handful of tubers, you can also pre-sprout them by laying them out on a tray of moist growing mix and just barely covering them. Put that tray in a warm, sunny place. Even when caladiums are in ideal growing conditions, it’s not uncommon for the tubers to take 3 weeks or more to break dormancy. Hope this helps!
I bought caladiums at a garden center. I’m in New York City. Although it’s over 70 during the day, it’s mid 50s at night. Can I plant them outdoors in containers now or wait a couple of more weeks?
Hi – for your area, we generally recommend waiting until the very end of May or early June.
I’m in Chicago area and planted my bulbs in containers outside at the end of April. It got cold…Will they still sprout or do I need to replant?
Hi – In your area that’s at least a month too early to plant. Gently dig up the bulbs to check on their condition. If they are firm, they may still sprout. If they are soft, they have rotted and you’ll need to start over.
My caladiums are starting to “lay down.” The leaves aren’t going brown nor are the stems going mushy. They are just going horizontal. Any thoughts as to why?
I’ve been pretty diligent with watering and they are in fairly deep shade on the edge of my porch.
Thanks for any suggestions!
Hi Rachel – two quick thoughts. The corms may need to be planted a little more deeply. This would help support the stems. Also, the plants may need more light than they are getting. You could move the pots and see if that makes a difference.
Oh! I live in zone 7 and the caladiums are in pots.
How do you overwinter the red flash caladiums without them drying completely up or rotting?
Hi – if they are growing in containers, you can bring the containers indoors before temps drop below the 50’s. Store the bulbs right in the container all winter long, at about 60°F. Let the soil dry out completely (don’t water). If the bulbs are in the ground, use a garden fork to gently lift them out of the soil. Let them dry for a week or two in a protected spot, until the leaves are brown and can easily be pulled away. Gently rub off extra soil, but do not wash. Loosely pack the bulbs (individually) into a cardboard box filled with shredded newspaper, peat moss or coir. (Plastic containers may hold too much moisture and cause the bulbs to rot.) Put the box in a cool, dark, dry place at about 60°F until spring. Check on them a few times during the first couple months. Discard any bulbs that show mold or decay.
question—can you plant caladiums in their pots so they’re easy to remove in fall?
Hi – Yes, caladiums grow well in pots/containers. Just make sure they have enough root space to develop properly.
I am in Connecticut, Zone 5-7, is there a plant similar to Caladium that is hearty enough to survive our winters?
Hi George – You may find some ideas in one of these articles on our website: Best Ground Covers for Shade, and 10 Easy Perennials for Shady Gardens.