Plants that can double duty as a fresh cut top my list — especially when they’re as pretty as caladium leaves!
Caladiums add a tropical accent to your space with their heart-shaped paper-thin leaves. They easily compete with flowering plants with their many varieties and colour combos! There are actually hundreds of varieties to choose from with fun names like ... "Strawberry Star", "Raspberry Moon", "White Christmas", "Miss Muffet", "Rosebud", and pictured here "Pink Beauty".
Although this shade-loving plant is native to South & Central America, Caladiums thrive indoors in North America! Just provide a humid atmosphere, with indirect light and weekly watering in the spring & summer. Keep your potting mix moist (but not swampy) through the growing season and water sparingly during the winter. Expect the "showy season" to last around 6 months or more, producing a dozen or so new leaves over each season. They can also be grown outside in the summer and dug up in the fall and stored indoors over winter.
Propagation is easy, just cut off a small tuber and pot it separately - or sit the cutting in a vase with water and watch as it grows roots! This will only work if a part of the tuber is connected to the base of the stem when cut.
Caladiums are quite beautiful with their showy leaves, but they are also toxic! If you have pets or children we recommend keeping them off the ground! Try on top of a bookshelf or in a macrame plant hanger!
• Rosie, owner Quince Flowers
