Caladiums fire up Lutz woman's garden

Lots of Bay area gardens get their bang from bright, billowy blossoms.

Flowers are fine, but for flash, Cindy Glover likes caladiums.

"They make the biggest impact and they're completely care free, except when you don't get any rain," she says. "They're my signature plant."

Cindy started buying them nearly a decade ago. With the old ones sprouting anew each year, and the 500 new bulbs she orders each February, she gets more of a boom than a bang when they explode in deep reds, soft pinks and lime greens in March and April. "I love red," says Cindy, whose expansive Lutz garden relies on artfully placed foliage of various textures, shapes and hues.

Most caladiums like shade or dappled sunlight, though some do fine with some sun. Cindy purchases bulbs rather than plants because they're less expensive, offer more variety and last a lot longer in the garden. She orders online from www.caladiumworld.com, based in Sebring, and www.caladiumbulbs4less.com, in Lake Placid.

Bulbs can be planted as long as the ground is warm to the touch, usually beginning in mid-March.

"I do it a little differently," Cindy says. "I order in February and have them shipped at the end of May."

By then, existing bulbs have sprouted - or not. "I can see where I need to fill in."

The bulbs should sprout in about 10 days and the foliage should last three to four months. Stagger planting from March to August can provide color from spring through December.

In the Bay area, it's not necessary to dig up the bulbs in the winter as some Web sites advise.

Plant the bulbs 2 inches deep. Cindy plants in clusters of five or six with bulbs 2 to 3 inches apart. That way, the plants will provide support for one another when they become heavy headed.

She plants a single variety in large drifts for big impact, and pays attention to how tall the plant will be - she doesn't want short caladiums behind tall ones. If there's no rain, she waters once a week. And she doesn't fertilize.

Check out more of Cindy's garden at http://hoeandshovel.blogspot.com, e-mail her at cynthiacay@floridagardencoach.com.

RED FLASH

Cindy loves the blood-red color, which becomes more intense in sunny locations. She suggests purple as a companion plant for dramatic effect.

Red Flash grows 18 to 30 inches tall and has enormous leaves with soft pink specks.

MISS MUFFETT

"My all-time favorite," Cindy says. "It pretty much goes in any garden."

Miss Muffet can take four or five hours of sun and grows 10 to 14 inches tall with a small to medium sized leaf. In full sun, it's a pale yellow leaf; in the shade, it's more green. Despite its small stature, Miss Muffett's leaves can get quite big.

AARON

A Fancy Leaf caladium, Aaron grows 12 to 24 inches tall with a medium to large leaf. It is not sun tolerant. If you buy Aaron for its creamy white leaves - which Cindy likes for brightening shady spaces - do not fertilize. That will increase the amount of green in the leaf.

SCARLET PIMPERNEL

A big, sun-tolerant stunner, Scarlet Pimpernel grows 18 to 30 inches tall with a large to extra large leaf with a bright pink center. "I love the limey green," Cindy says of the leaf edge, which can vary in hue.