Glasshouse plants

Caladium bicolor
Angel wings, elephant’s ear

Caladium is a tropical South American plant, that grows naturally at the edge of woodlands. It is grown for its colourful leaves, which can be up to 30cm (12in) long.

Numerous cultivars are available with various green, white, pink and red markings, providing months of colour. This frost-tender plant tends to be somewhat deciduous in Britain and other temperate regions, dying back to a tuber, especially when grown as a house or greenhouse plant in pots. It grows to between 30-60cm (1-2ft) high and up to 45cm (18in) across.

Being a woodland plant, it prefers a situation in partial shade, although plants can tolerate early morning sunshine

Dormant tubers should be potted up in spring and plants ideally kept at around 18-21°C (65-70°F) with high humidity. In the home, regular misting with clean water is beneficial or stand the pots in trays or moist pebbles or hydroleca.

During the growing period plants should be well watered so that the compost is kept evenly moist. Feed fortnightly with a balanced liquid fertiliser when plants are in leaf. In the autumn, if the foliage does die down, keep the dormant tubers almost dry. To propagate the plant tubers can be divided in spring.

Ray Waite & Geoff Hodge

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