Colorful caladiums at a popular theme park fascinated me on a recent trip to Florida. They were everywhere I looked.

Some caladiums neatly defined border edges or were mass planted in beds, but they were not all planted in the usual landscape places. The caladiums were planted in containers of every shape, size and color, and some were even in hanging baskets.

Many were placed right out in the full sun. There are quite a few selections advertised as full-sun tolerant, but I prefer the look of caladiums in at least partial shade because of better color development. Still, I could not argue about how these caladiums were being displayed. The uses certainly reinforced with me that caladiums are very versatile and tolerant of many growing styles.

Most of us grow caladiums because of their colorful leaves that can range from solids to flamboyant color combinations. My research revealed over 1,000 named selections of caladium, but I’m sure there are even more.

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