Caladium bicolorFancy Leaved Caladium

Caladium bicolor is grown entirely for its leaves: large, arrow-shaped and almost translucent, marbled and veined in white, pink, red and green in combinations that differ from cultivar to cultivar. It grows from a tuber, runs hard through the warm months and then dies back completely and rests.

That seasonal rhythm is the point to understand before specifying it. Used well, it gives a shaded bed four or five months of colour that no evergreen ground cover can match, then hands the space back.

Specifications

• Height0.3 to 0.6 metres
• Width0.3 to 0.5 metres
• Native toTropical South America, centred on the Amazon basin
• FoliageLarge, thin, arrow-shaped leaves marbled and veined in white, pink, red and green; deciduous, dying back to a tuber in the cool or dry season
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilPrefers rich, free-draining soils high in organic matter; keep the tuber dry while dormant
• LightPartial shade; strong sun scorches the thin leaves
• WaterModerate to high while in leaf, then withhold water through dormancy
• ClimateThrives in warm, humid tropical and subtropical regions and in interior spaces; frost sensitive

Additional Features

• UsesIdeal for shaded mass planting, seasonal bedding, interior displays, atriums and containers
• SpacingPlant 0.2 to 0.3 metres apart for a closed mass in a single season
• Low MaintenanceLift or leave the tubers dry through dormancy; remove spent leaves as they yellow
• Pest ResistanceGenerally resilient; slugs and snails will graze new leaves in damp conditions
• Seasonal AppealColour from late spring through autumn, then a clean dormant period
• ToxicityAll parts contain calcium oxalate and are irritant if chewed
• VersatilityWorks as seasonal bedding, in planters or as a short-term interior display

The Fancy Leaved Caladium is the strongest foliage colour available for shade, on the understanding that it is a seasonal plant.