How to Grow Caladiums In Containers

Florida Cardinal’s heart-shaped, vibrant red leaves framed by an emerald green edge are a fantastic plant for dressing up your patio. Planted in a classic alabaster wash container, this container garden will elevate your outdoor living space with style. Ruffling leaves that mound over the top of the neutral palette of the container are heat tolerant and simply gorgeous all summer long.

What’s Included in Your Kit 

Your kit includes a bag of soil, 4 caladium bulbs, the decorative pot, a lid and a small plastic bag containing 4 rubber plugs.

Step 1: Save the Base Plugs

This kit includes a bag of four rubber base plugs. To install, press firmly on the top of the plug until the wider top is flush against the base of the pot. Install the base plugs when starting your plants indoors or when moving inside to store for the winter. When the plugs are removed for outdoor use, this provides adequate drainage for your soil. When indoors, these plugs prevent a leaking mess.

Step 2: Arrange Bulbs & Soil

Fill the container with 2/3 of the soil included in your kit. Arrange the caladium bulbs in a circle inside the container, all spaced evenly. Cover the bulbs with the remaining soil so that they are 2” below the surface of the soil.

Step 3: Watering

Water lightly upon first planting. Once established, when rooted and stem shoots are above the soil line, water once a week, or more frequently if experiencing especially hot or drought-like conditions. While they are heat tolerant, caladiums planted in containers tend to dry out faster than planted in the garden.

Water thoroughly when the first inch or two of the soil is dry to the touch. To check soil, place a finger 1” below the soil’s surface to feel for moisture. If your foliage turns brown, you may be overwatering.

Step 4: After Care

Caladiums grow best in part sun to shade, but will tolerate some sunlight throughout the day. Place your container in a location where it receives 4-6 hours of sunlight each day. If you start to see holes with brown edges appearing on the leaves, simply move your container to a less sunny location.

After planting, it may take 2 weeks or more for the first shoots to appear. Once this happens, the plants grow quickly. Caladiums will bloom from summer through fall. In warm climates where they are perennial, the plants typically flower earlier in the summer.

Step 5: Caring for Caladiums After They Bloom

During the growing season, caladiums appreciate a monthly dose of liquid fertilizer. This is especially important when they are grown in containers.

In climates where caladiums are winter hardy (zones 8-10), the bulbs may be left in the ground to bloom again the next summer. In cooler areas (zones 3-7), caladiums are treated as annuals and planted new each year. Alternatively, the bulbs may be overwintered indoors, though flower production may be diminished the second year. 

Step 6: How to Winterize Your Bulbs

Fertilizing your container garden throughout the growing season gives them a better base for overwintering. At the end of the blooming season, but before the first frost around mid-late fall, dig up the bulbs and trim off the foliage, leaving an inch or two of stem attached. Let the bulbs cure in a warm, dry place for two weeks and then put them into a cardboard (not plastic) box with barely damp peat moss or sawdust. Store the box in a dark place at 50-60°F. Check once or twice during the winter to make sure the bulbs are not too moist (rotting) or too dry (shriveling). Replant in spring.