Growing Caladiums in Australia

Author: Marta Hackett Date Posted:28 November 2024

Caladiums are an incredibly beautiful plant and you can get so many different varieties from bright magenta inner veins, pink speckles, white with green veins or even black stems! They are beginner friendly and provide huge satisfaction to any grower.

View full range of Caladiums here.

Caladiums are incredibly stunning perennial tuber plants which are endemic to South America. They will thrive in hot, humid climates perfect for our climate here on the Fraser Coast, Queensland. These plants will die down during the winter months and bounce back in the summer months.

The delicate heart shaped leaves are the standout feature of these plants with their incredible coloured veins. They make great understory plants, perfect for walkway designs or even a small front garden feature.

Caladium bicolor 'Florida Calypso'

Caladium bicolor 'Bombshell'

Caladium bicolor 'Freckles'

The typical height of these Caladiums range between 40cm to 60cm. The younger plants are smaller and usually make a great ground cover or pathway border and the bigger plants are incredibly stunning as they fill up more space in the garden and generally emanate more colour.

Care:
Just like any similar foliage plant, Caladiums are very easy to care for. Simply remove the old, dead leaves with a clean pair of secateurs and ensure that the soil is moist, especially in summer.

Where to grow Caladiums?
All Caladiums are best situated in shade or part shade. We recommend under taller trees or srubs like the Cyathea cooperi (Australian Tree Fern) or even the Jacaranda mimosifolia (Jacaranda). They can also thrive indoors in placed in an area of the house with filtered sunlight. We advise that they are not planted in direct sunlight as this can scorch the beautiful leaves and dry the plant out. When planted close together in the garden, they form a stunning array of bouncing leaves.

Growth pattern:
They generally grow in clumps and spread out on all sides of the plant, so we recommend planting somewhere in the garden which has some room to grow.

Flowers:
Caladium flowers are somewhat insignificant and the plant is generally grown for the foliage. The flowers come in late spring and summer when the plant is in its biggest growth period. To see accelerated growth in the stunning leaves, you can cut the flower bud early to redirect energy into the growth of the leaves.

Fertiliser:
During the Australian spring and summer, Caladiums will benefit from fertilising. To experience the wonder of your Caladiums sooner, a weekly dose of liquid fertiliser or slow release pellets is the way to go.

Common problems:
Sometimes our plants just aren’t as happy as they could be, but here at Bamboo Land, we’ve usually got a plan. The most common problem we see with Caladiums is a drooping leaf. It could indicate that the soil is either too wet, which can lead to rot or the plant could be too dry.