Plants keep their own time
Growing notes, variety guides, nursery news and lab diaries. What we have learned about caladiums, written down for anyone starting out.
How to plant caladium bulbs: sprouting, potting and the first leaf
Which way up, how deep, how warm, and when to water. The first two weeks decide most of the outcome.
Read articleSix classic caladium varieties and how to choose
First plant, photo plant, or small-space plant? Match colour, habit and difficulty to your situation.
Read articleAutumn showcase 2026: 30+ caladiums under one roof
Our best-performing varieties gathered in one place, with autumn bulbs and plants open for pre-order.
Read articleYellowing or drooping caladium leaves? Check these four things first
Light, watering, airflow and root-zone health explain most problems. Diagnose before you feed.
Read articleLab diary: how a caladium grows from a test tube
Explant, medium, multiplication, rooting and acclimatisation — five stages from lab to nursery bench.
Read articleBulbs or finished plants? A beginner's guide
One is cheaper, one is quicker. Decide whether you want the process or the result, and the choice is easy.
Read articleArticle title
Before planting, check the bulb: healthy caladium bulbs feel firm, have a clean eye and no soft or mouldy patches. That two-minute check saves a lot of guessing later.
1. Eye up, shallow planting
Plant with the growing eye facing up and cover with 2–3 cm of medium. Do not bury deeply — bulbs can rot when they are too wet and too deep. Start in a small pot and pot on once the leaves are open.
2. Warmth matters more than water
25–30°C is the sweet spot for sprouting. Keep the medium lightly moist but never waterlogged before roots appear.
3. Bright shade first
Once growth shows, move to bright indirect light. Increase light gradually as the first leaf opens; avoid harsh midday sun on young leaves.
4. Feed after the first leaf
Wait until the plant is actively growing, then use a dilute liquid feed little and often. Feeding an unrooted bulb does more harm than good.
A bulb is more likely to suffer from being too wet than from being too dry. Air, warmth and restraint win.
If nothing appears after three weeks, send us a photo. Temperature, moisture and bulb condition are the usual suspects.
There are hundreds of caladium varieties, but a handful of classics cover most situations. Choose by light, space and how much attention you want to give.
Pink Beauty
Soft pink with a green edge, stable and forgiving. The best first caladium for a bright desk or balcony.
White Queen
A white heart with red veins. Wide, elegant leaves that need decent light to look their best.
Red Flash
Red, green and white speckles. A statement plant with a taller habit — give it room.
Moonlight
Luminous yellow-green. Excellent for mixed planters and lifting a dark corner.
Rosebud
Compact pink leaves for small spaces. Tidy, gentle and easy to place.
White Christmas
White-green with a fine green edge. Clean and calm, especially with wood and pale interiors.
Do not chase the rarest variety first. Choose one that suits your light, and learn how it grows.
In September we gathered the varieties that performed best this season — from classic white-and-red hearts to the smaller, moodier introductions.
What visitors saw
- The same variety grown under different light levels
- Bulb-grown plants compared with tissue-culture plants
- Colour and habit combinations for mixed planters
Autumn bulb and plant pre-orders opened at the same time. Some varieties are limited; the current list is available on request.
Growing everything in the same environment is the only fair way to see which varieties are truly stable.
To visit the nursery or receive the list, get in touch and we will arrange a time.
Caladiums usually show stress in the leaves before anything else. Work through these four checks before reaching for fertiliser or pesticides.
1. Light: too much or too little?
Direct sun burns leaves; deep shade fades colour and stretches stems. Bright indirect light is the reliable middle ground.
2. Water: too often?
Caladiums dislike sitting wet. Let the surface begin to dry between waterings, and make sure the pot drains freely.
3. Airflow
Stuffy corners encourage disease. Move plants away from sealed glass and tight wall corners, or improve air movement.
4. Root zone
Compacted medium can stay dry inside while looking wet on top. Check the roots and repot into a looser mix if needed.
Most yellow leaves are not a feeding problem. They are a water, light or root problem.
Tissue culture is not a shortcut; it is a way to control variety and health earlier. From a small piece of tissue to a nursery-ready plant takes five stages.
1. Explant selection
A healthy shoot tip or young tissue is taken from a selected mother plant, surface-sterilised and placed on medium.
2. Initiation and multiplication
With the right balance of nutrients and hormones, the tissue forms new shoots. Cultures are checked and transferred regularly.
3. Rooting
Shoots move to a rooting medium to become complete plantlets. They are clean and uniform, but still delicate.
4. Acclimatisation
Before leaving the lab, plantlets are gradually exposed to lower humidity and higher light. Rushing this stage loses more plants than any other.
5. Nursery finishing
Acclimatised plantlets are potted and grown on until they are strong enough for bulbs, finished plants or sale as plantlets.
Tissue culture does not replace growing. It gives growing a cleaner start.
Bulbs and finished plants are the same plant at different stages, but they suit different buyers.
Bulbs: lower cost, more involvement
Cheaper per plant and rewarding to grow, but they need a warm start, careful watering and some patience before the first leaf.
Finished plants: instant colour
More expensive, but already leafed out and checked. Ideal for gifts, interiors and anyone who wants to skip the uncertain stage.
Our suggestion
Try one or two easy bulbs to learn the rhythm, and buy a finished plant when you need colour now. Many customers end up doing both.
Neither is better. Pick the stage that matches your time and patience.